


A Veil of Spores

by Evil_Eye



Series: Sucy X Akko: Putting the "Fun" in "Fungus" [2]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Extremely out of season Xmas shenanigans, F/F, Finnelan isn't all that bad, I can't stop myself I used to work in a plane museum, Love Triangle, Lukic continues to be a kooky clown, More Nelson RAF backstory, One-Sided Attraction, WAFF, Yuri, fun with acronyms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:48:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22779730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Eye/pseuds/Evil_Eye
Summary: Sucy and Akko are girlfriends, Wilma has gotten the boot, and Christmas is fast approaching. Surely, nothing can go horrendously wrong now, right? Surely Diana of all people wouldn't throw an enchanted spanner in the works, would she? Surely I wouldn't spend so long on a sequel to my last fic that it ends up being 2 months late, right?Right?(Sequel to A Mushroom Bouquet)
Relationships: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari/Sucy Manbavaran
Series: Sucy X Akko: Putting the "Fun" in "Fungus" [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637689
Comments: 17
Kudos: 27





	1. All You Need Is Love (And a Mushroom)

A Veil of Spores

Chapter 1: All You Need Is Love (And a Mushroom)

Sucy's eye slowly peeled open, as light streamed in through the window.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Sucy had been blessed with an incredibly peaceful sleep. Her dreams had been pleasant, and nothing had woken her up in the night. No nightmares, no disturbances, and she had woken up feeling refreshed and reinvigorated- and best of all, she was next to the girl she loved.  
  
As her vision began to clear, she saw Akko's sweet face, smiling tenderly at her, and her heart filled with contentment.

“Morning, sleepyhead!” giggled Akko, beaming at the Filipino girl. “Have a good rest?”

Sucy nodded, tiredly. “Nng...Y-Yeah, it was good, thanks.” she mumbled. “I haven't slept that well in a while.”

The chestnut-haired girl grinned. “Heh, good to hear!” she said, cheerfully and energetically in spite of the early hour. “We'd better get up, we don't want to miss breakfast!”

“Eh? It's not even 6 o'clock yet, and it's a Sunday. What's the rush? And more to the point, who is this impostor that's replaced my beloved Akko? You've never been in a rush to get up...”

“Oh come on, Sucy, we've got stuff to do!” replied Akko. “We can't be affording to...uh, what time did you say it was?”

Sucy pointed at the clock on the desk. “It's 5:52.” she said, slightly drowsily. “Come _on_ , Akko, even you aren't _this_ dim.”

Akko blinked, as the gears in her brain began to turn. Then, eventually, something clicked.

“...Huh.” she muttered. “Maybe I'm getting stupider. Those experiments you've done on me must have had side effects on my brain.”

“Don't worry about it, Akko.” Sucy replied. “Just means more time in bed for us, after all.”

The Japanese witch smiled. “Good point, heh heh!” she chuckled, before snuggling close to Sucy and wrapping an arm around her. “You're all miiiiine!” she giggled, hugging her girlfriend tightly.

“Hey, steady on!” said Sucy, even as she reciprocated the cuddle and wriggled closer to Akko, pressing herself against her.

Akko was lovely and warm, soft and yielding to the touch. Despite her small frame, her arms were strong and comforting, holding Sucy secure in their loving, protective embrace. Sucy could barely believe that she'd been so averse to Akko's very physical brand of affection before; now, she couldn't get enough of it. Being held like this, it made her feel safe and wanted, like she hadn't felt for a long time.

“I love you, Akko,” mumbled Sucy. “I want to be with you forever.”

The girl grinned. “Well, I can't say for certain about forever, but we've got just under an hour or so until we have to get up.” she replied, mischievously. “Will that do for now?”

“Y-Yeah...That'll do.”

“Hey, you two, it's breakfast time!”

Akko sat up, slowly, looking around for whoever had awakened her from her brief 40-minute nap. Sure enough, Lotte was standing over them, smiling sweetly.

“Oh, thanks Lotte. I probably woulda slept through it without you waking me back up.” she said. “Did you have an OK sleep?”  
  
The Finn nodded. “Oh yes, definitely. Very restful, thanks.” she replied. “You?”

“Heh, not bad at all. Was nice having a bit of extra warmth, too.”

She gestured down at Sucy, who was still dozing and clinging onto her.

“Oh, bless, isn't she cute?” cooed Lotte. “I'm almost jealous, Akko! What you two have is something special.”

Akko grinned sheepishly. “Y-Yeah, heh heh! It...it sure is.”

She gazed upon Sucy's sleeping face, tenderly. She was borderline unrecognisable as the same girl she'd met all those months ago on the bridge on her way to Luna Nova; gone was the prickly aura of hostility and fear that had kept her fragile heart locked away. She looked so serene and peaceful, and she even looked somewhat healthier than usual.  
  
“I love her, Lotte.” she sighed. “She's so precious...I'll keep her safe, no matter what.”

Mumbling, Sucy forced her eye open, staring blearily up at Akko.

“Mn...what time is it?” she slurred. “I didn't oversleep again did I?”

Lotte giggled a little. “No, silly, you're fine.” she said, mirthfully. “Come on, we need to get some breakfast.”

Akko and Sucy strode into the cafeteria, hand in hand, with Lotte walking alongside them. There was a light skip in the trio's step as they strolled over to their usual table, seemingly without a care in the world.

Their arrival did not go unnoticed. Though she wouldn't say anything for fear of making Akko uncomfortable, Sucy couldn't help but notice a few girls staring, intently. Most were looking on happily, smiling at the couple, but a few seemed to have less favourable expressions on their faces; some looked confused, and a few disdainful.

Fortunately, she did not have long to worry about onlookers' opinions before Amanda appeared, her boisterous presence drowning out the nagging worries in her head.

“Hey, Akko, Suce!” she called out from across the room as she sauntered towards them, Jasminka and Constanze in tow. “How're ya doin'?”

Akko grinned. “Hey, Amanda!” she laughed, happily. “Great, thanks! Better for some rest, especially after yesterday!”

Sucy wasn't quite sure she'd ever get used to just how boundlessly chipper Akko was. After the events of yesterday, the lilac-haired witch was still a bit shaken up, even if it had ended well, yet Akko was acting as though she'd had a minor blunder at worst. But then, it was that irrepressible spirit and seemingly indomitable desire to see the best in everything that she loved about her.

After all, to love someone like her, she really had to have a talent for optimism and seeing the bright side in things. It wasn't like...

_No, Sucy, stop it,_ she thought to herself.  _Don't go back to thinking that way. You wouldn't want her to worry, would you?_

“And how about you, Sucy?” said Amanda, snapping the girl out of her haze. “I can't apologize enough over yesterday, hope yer doin' better!”

Sucy nodded, smiling. “Hey, no point in worrying about that.” she said, her good mood recovered. “I'm better than I've been in pretty much as long as I can remember, full credits to my favourite idiot here.”

“Hey, who are you calling an idiot?!?” snapped Akko in mock-outrage, unable to keep a straight face.

Sucy smirked playfully. “ Come on , I did say you were my  _favourite_ idiot.” she giggled. “ But I'm sorry, I said I'd cut that out, didn't I?”

“Well, I think it would be better if you were a bit nicer to Akko.” interjected Lotte, a hint of naughtiness in her voice. “It isn't kind to call people stupid all the time after all.”

“I know, I know, I can't help it is all. She's too cute when she's flustered.”

Amanda grinned from ear to ear. “D'awwww, you two are just the sweetest things...” she sighed. “You're getting a hug whether you like it or not!”  
  
Before either of them could protest, O'Neill had caught them both in a tight embrace, squeezing them a bit too hard for comfort.

“Ack- steady on, Amanda!” gasped Akko. “I can barely breathe-!”

The Irish-American laughed heartily. “Hey, who needs oxygen when you've got love?” she chuckled. “ Can't blame a girl for wanting to share!”

“No, but I think you're breaking my ribs.” said Sucy, with some difficulty.

Jasminka tapped Amanda on the shoulder. “I think that's enough, Amanda.” she said, in her usual carefree way. “They look like they're about to pass out.”

Amanda released the pair from the hug. “Sorry 'bout that, got carried away.” she chuckled.

The six friends ate breakfast together, casually chatting to each other about various things. The mood was relaxed, whimsical even, and everyone was having a good time.

“So anyway, what's everyone planning on doing for Christmas?” asked Lotte. “It's not that far away now, after all!”

Jasminka stroked her chin. “I want to do plenty of baking, but I'm not sure what to do first...” she replied. “I'm torn between gingerbread and Christmas cake. I love the marzipan on the cake, but I know Constanze loves the gingerbread.”

“Oooh, that's tough.” said Akko. “I love Christmas cake, but then I'm biased, we all do back home in Japan.”

Amanda cracked a wry grin. “Yeah, and don't you guys eat fried chicken for Christmas dinner?” she said, mischievously.

“Hey, turkey's impossible to get hold of, cut us some slack!”

Lotte giggled softly. “In that case, this year we'll have to treat you to a proper Christmas dinner.” she said, cheerfully. “I'm sure you'd love it!”

“Say, Akko.” said Jasminka. “I don't know much about Christmas in Japan, how do you celebrate it there?”

Akko folded her arms. “Well, it's a _little_ bit different to over here.” she said. “It's more of a couple's holiday, to be honest, which in my case is mighty convenient!”

She put an arm around Sucy, who blushed a little.

“How about you, Sucy?” she asked. “What's Christmas like in the Philippines?”

Sucy sighed, deeply.

“W-Well...” she replied, awkwardly. “I don't know what it's like for the average household, but Ramza was quite poor, so we could never really afford much.”

She shook her head. “We used to hang up a few simple decorations, but...that was about it.”

Akko's expression became rather downcast. “O-Oh, Sucy...” she said, sympathetically. “I'm sorry, maybe this wasn't the best topic.”

“No, it's fine, don't worry about it.” she responded, smiling. “It was a long time ago. Besides, things are going to be different this year. I'm here, and I have you.”

A collective “Awww” went up around the table.

“Well, tell you what, Sucy,” said Akko, warmly. “I'm gonna make this your best Christmas ever this year! Just you wait and see!”

It was 10:23 AM. Akko, Sucy and Lotte had opted to go for a brief stroll around the school grounds, enjoying the fresh air and bright winter sun. It was cold outside, but nonetheless it was pleasant; there was a certain crispness to the weather that was particularly invigorating. Even Sucy, who was used to the tropical conditions in her homeland, had swiftly grown to like it.

“Man, I hope we get some good heavy snow!” said Akko, excitably. “We'll be able to make snowmen, have snowball fights, all the good stuff!”

Sucy smiled. “Yeah, that'd be fun. I never got the chance to do much of that when we visited Lotte's place.”

Lotte shrugged. “Eh, we get so much snow back home, the novelty kinda wears off after a while.” she said. “But don't let me stop you two having fun!”

“Well, we have to wait and see if there even is any snow first,” replied Sucy. “I haven't checked the forecast, we might not get any.”

Akko cracked a cheeky grin. “Well, I'm sure we can always work a bit of magic if not, hee hee!” She giggled, particularly mischievously. Sucy couldn't help but grin a little herself; Akko's enthusiasm was infectious, even if she rather doubted that Akko was up for the task of weather manipulation magic.

“Hey, maybe best not to do that, that sounds like a recipe for disaster.” said Lotte, apprehensively. “Besides, this weather is still really nice, let's just appreciate that for now.”

The Japanese girl nodded. “It is lovely, isn't it?”

Sucy was about to add her own comment on the weather when she felt Akko's arm on her shoulder again.  
  
“Not as lovely as you though, heh heh heh!”

Sucy blushed profusely. “A-Akko, I...I don't...” she stammered, completely bewildered. Somehow she didn't think she was ever going to get used to Akko saying things like that to her.

“Aww, c'mon Sucy, lighten up a bit! No need to act so surprised!” Akko chided, playfully. “You needn't be so tense!”

“...Sorry, I'm still not very good at this...”

Akko sighed. It was no surprise really, given how recently they'd actually made their relationship “a thing” but Sucy's awkwardness was...annoying was the wrong word for it, but it was difficult. She'd known that going in of course, but still, she needed a lot of care.

“Sucy, we're gonna have to work on this, you know.” she said, gently. “Really, you need to relax a little, it's not good for you to be so on edge all the time.”

The girl nodded. “I know, I know. I'm sorry, I-”

“And stop apologizing for everything, too!” Akko cut her off. “You're fine, Sucy, just...just take it easy, OK?”

“...OK.”

Uneasily, Sucy put her own arm around Akko. She wasn't sure why, but she felt embarrassed; she loved Akko with all her heart, and Lotte was the least judgemental person on Earth, so what was causing her hesitance?

“There, that's better.” said Akko, holding a bit tighter onto her. “It's a time of year for love and joy, after all!”

The Filipino smiled. “Yeah...you're right.” she replied, softly. “Akko, I'm so glad I have you. You're a treasure.”

Akko giggled, in that sweet way that Sucy had come to love. Deep down though, Sucy still felt a little melancholic; she wished she had the words to express just how much Akko meant to her.

“Akko, I just... I wanted you to know...” began Sucy. “I really...I-”

“Oh good heavens, it's true!” came a squealed exclamation that was halfway between disbelief and delight. “Diana wasn't making it up!”

The couple turned to face the interruption, startling a little, and saw Hannah and Barbara standing before them, looking like they'd either seen a ghost or a goldmine.

“O-Oh, hey guys!” said Lotte, sheepishly. “Fancy bumping into you two out here!”

Barbara smiled. “Hey, Lotte!” she replied. “We were just out for a walk, same as you, but uh-”

“So you two are an item now!” Hannah cut her off. “I gotta be honest, Akko, I didn't believe it at first, but here we are! I always thought you were gonna go for Andrew!”

Akko blinked. “Well...It's complicated, but, uh, it's true! Me and Sucy are together now.”

“Oh, that's just wonderful!” said Hannah, clapping her hands together excitedly. “I mean, pretty unexpected, but hey, whatever zooms your broom!”

Barbara nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we just wanted to let you both know we're really happy for you.” She said. “I'm so glad something good came out of...well, you know...”

“Hey, thanks!” replied Akko, beaming. “I'm so glad you get it, I was a bit worried!”

Barbara suddenly looked a bit sullen. “H-Hey...whilst we were on the subject, we...”  
  
“...We wanted to apologize.” finished Hannah. “We shouldn't have been so mean to you three. If we'd known what we knew now...”

Sucy finally spoke up. “Thanks, guys.” she said, blushing a little. “And don't worry about it, it's all in the past now.”

“Hang on a second,” cut in Lotte. “Did you say Diana told you that Akko and Sucy were together?”

Hannah nodded. “Yeah, that's not a problem, is it?”

Lotte shook her head. “No, it's just, well, I'll let Akko explain.”

The Japanese witch sighed, sadly.

“I had a bit of a falling out with Diana yesterday,” she began. “I think she was trying to give me advice, and I took it the wrong way. I thought she was trying to separate us...I feel really bad for how I spoke to her now...”

Barbara put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don't worry about it, I'm pretty sure everything's OK!” she said, reassuringly. “Diana certainly didn't sound angry or anything like that! Maybe a bit concerned, but nothing more!”

“Babs is right,” said Hannah. “Diana's not the type to hold a grudge over anything silly, there's no need to sweat it.”

Akko nodded. “Y-Yeah, thanks guys.” she said. “Even so, I think I should speak to her about it.”

“Hey, that's fine, we'll let her know!”

For some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, Sucy felt strangely uncomfortable all of a sudden. It wasn't Hannah and Barbara's knowledge of her relationship; they were a nice pair of girls, and whilst they had been somewhat mean-spirited to herself, Akko and Lotte, they were obviously genuinely remorseful over that. And it wasn't like Sucy could exactly find fault with anyone else for being less than kind to people in the past. No, it was something seemingly innocuous but deeply troubling to her...

“Hey, Sucy, are you doing OK?” came Akko's voice, snapping her out of her daydream. “You don't look so good, is everything alright?”

Sucy jolted slightly. “Huh? O-Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about it, this cold weather makes me a bit dozy.” she responded, hastily and rather awkwardly. “I'm so used to heat that anything less than roasting puts me to sleep, heh heh.”

Akko looked a little unconvinced, but nodded politely nonetheless. “Well, we'll go back inside soon, it is a bit frosty!”

“Actually, we'd best get a move on too, we've volunteered to help decorate the main hall!” said Hannah.

The girls bid each other farewell and split up once more. Sucy maintained a happy facade, but whatever had been bugging her was still there, gnawing at her.

_Akko..._ she thought to herself.  _Why am I like this?_

The trio had returned to their dorm room for a rest. Sucy sat at the desk, cataloguing her various ingredients. She wasn't sure why; she hadn't used any since her last stock-keep after all, but it was a force of habit.  
  
_Spicewort, check._ She pondered as she fiddled with a sprig of bright orange weed. _Bittershroom, check. Essence of Matango, check._

It was odd. She'd lost a lot of enthusiasm for her potions recently. Maybe it was Ramza's passing removing any motivation to cure her eye, maybe it was lingering depression from the whole Wilma affair, or maybe it was just that she had more important things to focus on, like Akko. But somehow, her love of all things alchemical had began to wane.

_Gigantula venom, check. Dried Sea Leprechaun, check. South Pacific Happy Cap extract...check._

Pausing, she examined the tiny phial of golden liquid. Whilst she hadn't used any in a while, the gummy mushroom extract had been invaluable to her for some time now. It gave a warm, cosy feeling of happiness and cheer, hence the name, and she'd often imbibed small amounts when she felt low. It had kept her afloat during some of her direst hours, and she never went anywhere without it.  
  
Something wasn't right. She felt like gulping down a drop or two of the stuff, which made almost no sense. She had Akko, why was she feeling like this? She'd been getting a similar pang of uncertainty when they'd been talking to Hannah and Barbara, what was wrong? What had been causing this...

Diana. It was Diana.

Until the whole Shiny Rod fiasco she hadn't exactly been fond of the Cavendish, but seeing how she'd helped Akko out of her borderline catatonic state- and learning more of her own difficult past- had changed her outlook on her. She was an admirable person, and a good friend to Akko and everyone else, and Sucy had no rational reason to resent her. But hearing Akko talk about Diana so emotionally, it made her feel insecure, jealous even.

She felt like slapping herself, really. Akko was obviously just good friends with Diana- understandable after what they'd achieved together- but she couldn't help but feel a strange envy, like Diana was going to steal her away and leave Sucy alone again.

It was pathetic, being so possessive over Akko, and she knew that, but she couldn't help it.

_But then you are pathetic,_ came the voice in the back of Sucy's brain.

Sucy's eye snapped fully open. It was that voice, that dreadful sneer she heard that was a mixture of everything she feared. It was Wilma's vicious nails-down-a-chalkboard whine. It was the mocking laughter of the bullies from the orphanage. It was Ramza's voice, but in a low, disappointed tone Sucy recognized immediately even though she'd never actually heard it from her.

But worst of all, it was her own voice.

It was no good. She needed to calm her nerves. With trembling fingers, she began to uncork the phial of Happy Cap extract, preparing to decant a droplet into a minuscule glass.  _Just one drop_ , she thought.  _Just one little drop and-_

“Sucy, what are you doing?” came Akko's voice from behind her. “You're shaking, is everything alright?”

The Filipino girl nearly fell off her chair. “A-Ah, Akko! I...” she began, but soon trailed off.

She turned round, slowly, and faced the chestnut-haired girl. She looked deeply worried, in a way that didn't quite suit her. Sucy considered lying, maybe saying she'd just had a bad reaction to one of her potions, just for Akko's sake. But somehow, those big dumb red eyes compelled her to tell the truth.

“...No, I'm not alright.” she mumbled, reluctantly. “Not at all.”

Akko frowned, sadly. “Oh no, what's wrong?” she asked. “You seemed so happy earlier, did something happen?”

Sucy slowly shook her head. “No, at least...not really.” she replied. “I don't know if I want to tell you though...it's...kind of embarrassing...”

“That's no good, Sucy, you need to be open about things if you're not feeling good.” said Lotte, looking up from her book with a look of concern. “Honesty is an important part of a relationship.”

Lotte was absolutely right, of course, and Sucy knew it, but somehow she was struggling to bring herself to admit the truth. Maybe she didn't want to make Akko worry, or maybe she was scared of upsetting or angering her.

“W-Well...” she sighed. “Akko, please don't take this the wrong way...but...”

Akko put a hand on Sucy's shoulder. “Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it!” she said, reassuringly. “You can tell me anything, I won't mind.”

The lilac-haired girl nodded, meekly.

“It's...when you were talking to Hannah and Barbara about Diana...” she said at last. “I- I was scared, Akko. I can't explain why, and I know it's stupid, but...I was scared.”

For a few seconds, Akko looked completely bewildered. Then, a broad smile appeared on her face, and she began to giggle.

“Aww, poor Sucy, you're jealous!” she laughed. “That's all it is, you're just feeling a bit clingy, nothing to worry about!”

Sucy blinked. She'd been expecting a far worse response, and it felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders, but Akko's reaction still took her aback.  
  
“O-Oh, I...I'm sorry, Akko.” she said, quietly. “I- I mean- it's nothing you've done, it's-”

“Relax, Sucy.” Akko cut her off, beaming. “You're good, it's totally normal for people to feel kinda possessive like that! And at least you're aware of it, that's better than a lot of people!”

Lotte chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I'd be more worried if you weren't feeling a bit like that!” she cut in. “You're just not used to feeling like this, so it might feel odd.”

The Japanese witch nodded. “If it's any help, though, me and Diana are just friends, nothing more. There's no need to panic, there's only room for one in my heart, and you're it.”

Sucy couldn't help but smile at that, and she blushed profusely. “...Thanks, Akko.” she sighed. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Hey, don't sweat it, it's all good!”

Turning back to her collection of ingredients, Sucy plugged the happy cap extract phial's cork back in, and placed the glass tube back in its box. _Not today, old friend._ she thought. _Maybe some other time._

She smiled to herself as she began to neatly stow the remaining ingredients back in their draws. She needed to get back to doing some alchemy, she already had some ideas for some new potions; good, nice ones, not the poisons she'd spent so long obsessed with. But first, she needed to spend some quality time with Akko.

Mushrooms were great and all, but friends were better.

“OK, a bit to the left!” said Diana, as she guided Hannah and Barbara's efforts to decorate the tree in the main hall, her two friends balanced precariously on ladders attempting to place a large red bauble. “Yes, that's good...juuuuust a bit lower...”

Whilst she was fairly confident it didn't really matter that much, back home in the Cavendish manor the Christmas tree had always been immaculately decorated, with not a single ornament out of place, and orchestrating the adornment of the tree allowed her to uphold that tradition, not to mention give her a little bit of fun with putting her own personal touches on the mighty spruce. She'd been delighted when the staff had asked her to take the lead with the decoration; some might have considered it a sign of being a control freak, but in truth, Diana just enjoyed the opportunity to help make the tree look as good as it could.

With a stretch and a grunt of effort, Hannah managed to hook the bauble onto a branch, equidistant from the other colourful decorations sprinkled about the tree. “Right, that's that done!” she called down to Diana. “I think that's the last bauble, what next?”

The Cavendish put her hands on her hips, confidently. “I think that's about as much as we can do for now, until Sarah gets here with the lights.” she replied. “We should probably take a break.”

The pair nodded, before swiftly clambering down the ladders and rejoining their friend at the base of the tree.

“A job well done, I think!” gasped Barbara, wiping her brow. “Took a while, but I think it looks good!”

Diana smiled. “Indeed, good work you two!” she replied. “I couldn't have done it without you.”

Hannah grinned, happily. “Gee, Diana, you really are the best!” she said.

Diana took a step back, appraising the tree in its full glory. It was quite magnificent, bedecked in its assortment of tinsel, baubles and other assorted decorations, with nothing out of place or overdone. She was quite pleased, both with herself for directing the process and with her friends for putting her plans into action. Nothing seemed to be missing...except...

That was it. It needed something on the top.  
  
“Hmm, I've just thought of something.” she said, pensively. “We still haven't put a top on the tree. It'll need something or it won't look quite complete.”

Barbara stroked her chin. “You're right...I wonder if there's a star we can put on the top somewhere?” she responded. “A star, or maybe an angel?”

“Yeah, an angel would be perfect!” cut in Hannah. “Stars are kind of overdone, and a little angel on top would be so cute!”

“Actually, that reminds me for some reason.” said Barbara. “We bumped into Akko earlier on, she wanted to talk to you, Diana.”

Diana felt her heart race a bit. She didn't know why, but the sudden mention of Akko made her pulse quicken.

“O-Oh?” she replied, doing her best to maintain her decorum. “Did she say what about?”

The black-haired girl nodded. “Yeah, she said she wanted to apologize for yesterday, I think.” she continued. “She seemed kinda down about it.”

The Cavendish blushed a little. “Ah...oh dear.” she sighed. “Oh no, I'll definitely talk to her in that case. That whole thing was a dreadful misunderstanding, and...well, I think I need to apologize to her myself.”

“Oh?”

She shook her head. “I was trying to be helpful, but I think I was far too harsh, and I gave her completely the wrong idea. And now that I think about it, I should probably apologize to Sucy too...”

“Well, do you want us to go get Akko now?” said Hannah. “I'm sure she'll understand!”

Diana nodded. “I think that would be best.”

The pair smiled. “Right, we'll go find her!” said Barbara. “We shouldn't be long!” With that, they scurried off out the door.

Her companions now absent, Diana began to pace the room as she thought to herself. She needed to think her words over carefully before she said anything to Akko; the Japanese girl could be very impulsive and prone to misunderstanding things, taking things literally and flying off the handle, and she wanted to try and avoid that if at all possible. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday's fiasco, after all.  
  
She still felt guilty over that. She'd only wanted to help at the time, but she realized now that not only had she worded herself very poorly, but she should have kept her mouth shut. Telling someone that the person they loved needed time away from them was always going to be tricky, but not only had she been very, very wrong, voicing such a concern in front of Sucy as well was extremely insensitive of her. It was hard for her to forgive herself, especially given what had transpired afterwards.  
  
No, she had to apologize. She hoped that Akko would understand that she didn't mean to get between her and Sucy, for the sake of their friendship as much as anything. She'd become very attached to Akko ever since the Grand Triskellion event, and she hated the thought of her holding any form of resentment towards her.

_...Why am I thinking about this so much?_ She pondered.  _All I need to say is “sorry about yesterday”. Why can't I get her out of my head?_

Whatever the reason, Diana resolved to put it out of her mind. It was probably nothing to worry about, most likely just residual guilt of upsetting her close friend. After all, Akko _was_ a close friend, but that was it, right?

Right?

“You know, something's occurred to me, Sucy,” said Akko, pensively. “You haven't asked what you wanted for Christmas. Did you have anything on your wishlist?”

Sucy shook her head. “Don't be silly, Akko, you don't need to get me anything.” she replied, smiling. “Anyway, you bought me the doll just yesterday, remember?”

“Eh? Are you sure?” Akko was rather taken aback by that. “It's OK, Sucy, if there's something you want then I'll get it for you! Don't-”

“Akko, having you is a much better gift than anything money could buy.” Sucy cut her off. “But, if you want to give me a present, there _is_ one thing...”

The chestnut-haired girl nodded. “Go on, I'm all ears!”

“Well...the thing is...” she began, blushing a little. “It's the Luna Nova Winter Ball coming up very soon...and I'd really like it if...well...”

She trailed off, looking more than a little embarrassed.

“...I'd love to have you for the dance...”

Akko's face practically lit up. “Oh, Sucy, I'd love to!” she exclaimed, joyously. “Yes, of course I will!”

Sucy's smile broadened into a grin of delight, and she spontaneously threw her arms around Akko in a warm embrace.

“Akko, you're just the best...” she sighed. “I-”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  
  
“Hello? Who's there?” called out Lotte, apprehensively.

“It's just me and Barbara!” came Hannah's voice from the other side. “Can we come in?” Lotte glanced at Akko and Sucy, who both nodded in response. “Sure!” she called back.

The door swung open, and Hannah and Barbara waltzed in, little bits of tinsel clinging to their clothes.  
  
“Hey guys, what's up?” Akko greeted the pair. “How'd the decorating go?”

Barbara grinned. “Well, you'll have to find that out for yourself when you see the tree!” she said, mischievously. “But yeah, we put a lot of work into it, and without spoiling too much it turned out pretty well!”

Hannah nodded in agreement. “Oh, yeah, it's quite a sight if I do say so myself. But anyway, we just came to let you know Diana wanted to talk to you, if that's alright?”

“Ah, that depends, really! Sucy, is that OK?”

Sucy gave her a thumbs-up, smiling. “It's fine, don't worry about it.” she replied.  
  
“OK then, I guess the answer's yes!” Akko said. “Lead the way!”

She rose from the bed and followed Hannah and Barbara out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

“Well, I hope they can clear things up a bit.” said Lotte. “I know you told me they had a bit of a feud yesterday.”

“Yeah, you could put it that way.” replied Sucy. “I think Diana was trying to be helpful, but, well, I think it backfired. And you know how Akko can be.”

Lotte chuckled softly. “Well, I certainly do, that much is true!”

“Though, I have to be honest,” Sucy continued. “I did appreciate her standing up for me, even if she made a bit of a blunder of it...”

She exhaled deeply, lost in thought. She still didn't know what to make of that particular incident- sure, Akko could be extremely impulsive and more than a little dim at times, and knowing Diana she was unlikely to have been intending to cause harm, but at the same time, Akko's anger at the misaimed advice had been far deeper and more heartfelt than the usual short-lived frustration she expressed at things.

“She really loves you, you know.” said Lotte. “I think you're in good hands with her. Everything's going to be OK.”//

Sucy nodded, slowly. “Yeah...you're right.” she sighed. “I need to stop worrying so much.”

Akko strode into the main hall, Hannah and Barbara having opted to give her and Diana some privacy. She was practically overwhelmed by how beautiful it looked fully decorated; the festive bunting hanging from the roof, the holly bowers mounted on the walls, and the fig-scented candles that had been scattered around the hall all combined to make for an experience that could only be described, fittingly enough, as magical. And as for the tree...

“Wow...it's so pretty in here!” gasped Akko with delight. “This is fantastic!”

“Thank you, Akko!” came Diana's voice from behind her, making her jump a little. “It took a while, but we got there in the end and I think it was worth it.”

The Japanese witch nodded, grinning as she turned to face her friend. “Yeah, you've really pulled all the stops out!” she said, enthusiastically. “You're so talented at this sort of thing!”

Diana shrugged. “Well, I wouldn't go that far, but thank you, anyway.” she replied. “I have Hannah and Barbara to thank as much as anything, without them I'd never have gotten this sorted.”

“Fair enough, but whoever did what, you did a great job!”

Akko was always in awe of Diana's seemingly endless talents. It seemed as though there was nothing she couldn't do; Akko only hoped that she might be as talented some day.

“Anyway, you wanted to talk to me?” she asked, remembering what she had come for after her brief festive daydream.

“O-Oh, yes...” Diana suddenly looked a little embarrassed. “Well, Akko, I have to be honest, I need to apologize to you. I...I should have been more considerate of your feelings before I gave unsolicited advice. I...I hope you can excuse my insensitivity.”

The chestnut-haired witch smiled, softly. “It's fine, Diana.” she said. “I wanted to apologize myself. I know you were just trying to help...I reacted really badly. I'm sorry, I was under a lot of stress, and-”

The Cavendish cut her off. “No, Akko, I shouldn't have said what I did. I've...I've been thinking about this a lot, and I should have kept my mouth shut. If you'd followed my suggestion, things...might have gone really poorly.”

She shook her head, sadly.

“I'm sorry, Akko. I was-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Akko gently clapped her hand on her shoulder, meeting gazes with her.

“Honestly, Diana, it's OK.” she said, resolutely. “We got mixed up. It happens. You're a good friend of mine, I'd hate to get into some stupid guiltier-than-thou match, after all.”Diana couldn't restrain a rather unbecoming giggle. “Oh, Akko, that's the most you response I could have expected.” she chuckled. “But...thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Though she'd never admit it, Akko's ridiculous turns of phrase were highlights of her day. Somehow, despite speaking fluent English (especially for a girl from Japan) she managed to find new ways to mangle the language whilst technically not having said anything wrong. It really was adorable, how-

_Wait, did you just..._ she thought to herself.  _No, Diana, stop it..._

“Heh, no worries!” laughed Akko. “But, there is one thing you could do for me...if it's not too much trouble.”

“Well, what is it?”

Akko beamed. “So, you know the Luna Nova Winter Ball is just around the corner?” she said, slyly. “Well, I was wondering...”Diana felt her heart racing again. This wasn't good at all. She had no idea why, but she suddenly felt overcome with suspense.  
  
“...I was wondering if you could help sort me out with a dress for it.” Akko finally said. “Me and Sucy were going to dance, and-”

“Oh for crying out loud, stop teasing me!” Diana blurted, explosively. “Can't you see you're driving me wild?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she instantly regretted them. She clasped her hands over her mouth, her expression utterly mortified.

“Oh god, I am so sorry,” she stammered, barely able to believe what she'd just said. “I mean- I didn't-”

Akko's face went through just about every human emotion imaginable and a few besides.

“ _...WHAT?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo yeaaaaaaaaah, this ended up taking a lot longer than I intended, hence this being a Christmas fic being released after Valentine's Day... Whoops...?


	2. Too Many Witches Spoil The Potion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana has really put her foot in it, with utterly atrocious timing. But help arrives seemingly from nowhere...or does it?

“I'm- I mean- erm- I didn't-” stammered Diana as she tried and failed to fish an excuse for her sudden exclamation from her brain. “That is- I...”

Akko was absolutely, completely and utterly flabbergasted. She could scarcely believe what she'd just heard. She stood with her jaw hanging open in a state of shock, struggling to comprehend this bizarre turn of events.

“D-Diana...” she finally spluttered. “You, uh...are you feeling well?”

Diana nodded, furiously. “Huh? O-Oh, yes, I'm fine! I think I might have knocked my head on a bauble, ha ha!” she laughed somewhat deliriously. “I'm so sorry, I meant that I didn't like you teasing me by asking me to help with the dress, you know I'm no good at sewing! Ahahahahahaha!”

Whilst she would freely admit to not being the brightest bulb in the box, even Akko could see that Diana was talking absolute rubbish in a vain attempt to maintain some façade of not having meant what she'd said. It would have been funny and rather cute if she weren't already taken, but as she was, it was intensely awkward.  
  
Nevertheless, she thought, it would probably be wise to play along and act like nothing had happened. She didn't need any more friction between her and Diana than absolutely necessary.

“Oh, well, that's alright then!” she said, though she suspected it was quite obvious that it was not, in fact, alright. “W-Well, thank you anyway, I'll see if anyone else can help with that...”

Diana pulled a comically forced smile. “Don't worry, Akko, I'm sure someone will be able to sort it out.” she replied. “I'd try Cassandra Chessbury, she's into all things artistic and fashionable.”

Akko just about forced a smile herself. “Thanks! I'll, uh, be sure to ask her, heh heh...is that all?”

“Oh, yes, sorry! I shouldn't keep you too long.”

The Japanese girl shook her head. “It's fine, Diana, it's good to talk again!” she said. “Just...take care around those baubles, OK?”

“A-Ah, yes, I better had!” chuckled Diana, who was doing her not-particularly-good best to hide her obvious embarrassment. “Take care, Akko!”  
  
Akko smiled, and scurried out through the door of the main hall. As soon as the door slid closed again, her smile faded, and she felt a pit form in her stomach.

_Goddamnit, Diana..._ she thought to herself.  _Why now?_

Akko paced down the corridor, headed nowhere in particular, dragging her feet somewhat. She'd originally intended to find Cassandra, but between the fact she had no idea where to find her and her current state of mind, she'd given up on that.

She was completely and utterly overwhelmed by what had just occurred with her and Diana. She'd been caught utterly off guard by the Cavendish's sudden outburst, and now she felt extremely awkward. At the best of times, she'd have been unprepared, but now of all times?

It seemed like the worst timing possible. She'd just committed to a relationship with Sucy- they'd barely been girlfriends for more than a day- and now she had Diana blurting out her feelings to her. Sucy's confession had been sudden enough, but at the very least she was completely free at the time.

She couldn't help but feel angry at Diana again. She almost felt blackmailed somehow; she valued her friendship with Diana immensely, and wanted to maintain it as best as possible. And had this been a week or so ago it would have been difficult to say no; after all, she was talented, intelligent, kind and beautiful. But for as wonderful as she was, and as much as she didn't want to hurt her feelings, she couldn't forsake Sucy for her. Rejection would upset Diana, but abandonment would utterly destroy Sucy.

Akko felt like she had an impossible dilemma on her hands. She had a treasured friend and a precious girlfriend. She didn't want to hurt either of them, but regardless of what she did, someone was going to come off the worse. The question was, who would suffer the least for her decision?

Diana hadn't exactly had a great time of it, losing both her parents at an early age, and having grown up with her dreadful aunt. And for all her refined, unflappable exterior, Akko knew she was a sensitive and gentle girl with a heart of gold. She'd been the one to rescue her from the depths of sorrow on that awful day when she'd discovered just why she was so bad at magic, after all, and she'd shared some truly unforgettable moments with her.

And yet, still, she had a home to go back to- a massive, opulent one at that- and whilst Akko knew that rejection would hurt her, she would recover. She was strong like that, after all, and it wasn't like she'd have difficulty finding somebody else. She could have anyone she wanted, really.

Sucy, meanwhile, had nothing. No home, and no family. She'd been through things that made Akko feel physically ill just to think about. She was a sweet, delicate thing that had formed a stony, sour exterior to hide from the abuse that life had doled out on her, and having finally shirked that façade, it would absolutely tear her apart if she were rejected now. She still remembered how crushed she'd been when Wilma had tricked her with the recording...

She instinctively clenched her fist at the thought of her. Even with her having been expelled, Wilma's sheer malicious _evil_ still haunted her.

The very idea of leaving Sucy alone again filled Akko with disgust at herself for even contemplating it; no way was she going to do that to her. She loved her, and she'd stand by her no matter what.

No, she thought- it was unfortunate, but Diana's feelings had to take a back seat. Hopefully Diana wouldn't bring it up again, but if she did, Akko would have to let her down gently.

Her resolve regained, Akko marched down the corridor in the direction of the dorms. She'd sort the dress out later; she'd kept Sucy waiting for long enough.

She could have sworn she saw a dark shape out the corner of her eye, disappearing into the shadows, but she quickly dismissed it as jumpiness. Either that or one of the janitor goblins. Nothing to worry about, anyway.

“I hope Akko's back soon...” Sucy muttered. “She's been a while, this potion is going to get cold.”

She sat back at the desk, slowly stirring a tiny cauldron, surrounded by ingredients. Pinkish vapours wafted from the vessel, filling the air with a peculiar fragrance. She'd been spending quite a while on this particular concoction, which would normally have concerned Lotte, but the serene look on her face- combined with the lack of a gas mask and the strangely pleasant aromas emanating from the cauldron- somehow reassured her. Maybe this wasn't going to be another poison?

The Finn smiled. “Hey, I'm sure she'll be back soon!” she said, positively. “You know what Akko's like, she's probably gotten lost in the castle somewhere.”

Sucy chuckled softly, recalling her girlfriend's appalling sense of direction. “Yeah, you aren't wrong. She's probably on the other side of the school right now.” she replied. “Reminds me of that time she dashed to be ready for class with all her stuff, and then she turned up to the wrong room and was 10 minutes late anyway.”

“Oh yeah, and didn't she bring the wrong books with her too?” Lotte sniggered. “She can be so daft sometimes!”

“Though to be fair,” retorted Sucy. “If she wasn't as clueless as she is, we'd likely never have met all those months ago...”

She sighed. Even with Akko's seeming inability to see anything but the best in everything, Sucy couldn't quite believe how quick to forgive she was. Sucy had done everything in her power to push her away when she first met her, up to trying to feed her to a cockatrice, and yet she'd outright refused to not be friends with her. She wasn't sure if that made her dumb as a sack of hammers, the nicest girl in the universe or both, but she wasn't going to complain. Anyone that could love her, even after all that, was worth their weight in gold.

“Sucy, are you alright?” said Lotte, tapping her on the shoulder. “You look kinda daydreamy again.”

“O-Oh, no, I'm fine,” replied Sucy. “I was...I was just thinking how lucky I am to have her, you know.”

She paused, taking a moment to sprinkle in a few flakes of dried herbs to her potion.

“She's just so _nice_ , Lotte.” she said, wistfully. “I didn't think anyone could be happy to meet me before I met her. She's warm and gentle, and...I'm sorry, I'm waffling.”

Lotte shook her head. “No, Sucy, it's fine! It's really sweet to hear you say such nice things about her. Please, carry on.”

Sucy nodded, smiling softly. “I just- I hope I make her as happy as she makes me. I love her so much.”

It was then that the door swung open and Akko marched in, beaming confidently as always. “Sorry about that! Got completely lost, as always!” she said, as carefree as ever.

“Ah, as if on cue!” said Lotte, happily. “We were just beginning to wonder where you'd gotten to!”

“Well, let's just say my sense of direction is reliably useless.” said Akko, shrugging as she sat down on the bed next to Sucy. “But anyway, I'm here now, is everything OK?”  
  
Lotte and Sucy nodded, the latter with a mischievous grin on her face. “Yeah, we've been fine,” said the lilac-haired girl. “Lotte's just been on her crystal ball, and I...well, I've been preparing something _special_.”

She gestured to her cauldron, which was now emitting a violet steam.

“Awww, come _on_ Sucy, whatever happened to “I'll stop feeding you potions” huh?” groaned Akko. “That last one tasted like something that fell out of the Sphinx's nose!”

Sucy shook her head, feigning hurt. “Hey now, Akko, just this once, for old time's sake...Besides, you might be pleasantly surprised, hee hee.”

Akko sighed, deeply. “Alright, Sucy, but this better not give me acne or anything like that!”

“Excellent! Now, close your eyes, and open wide!” giggled Sucy. Akko did as she was told, dreading what was sure to follow; Sucy's chemical concoctions invariably tasted awful, did terrible things, or both.

To her surprise, no funnel was shoved unceremoniously into her mouth- instead, she began to smell an oddly fragrant, botanical scent wafting up her nose.

“Now, get ready to sip, it's a bit hot.” said Sucy, unusually tenderly.

She did so, and pursed her lips. A cup was lifted to her mouth, and she took a sip of the liquid...

...Which to her total surprise, tasted quite delicious. It was unusual for certain, slightly bitter and earthy, but with a floral, perfumed flavour as well.

Her eyes snapped open in shock. “S-Sucy, what is this?” she blurted. “It's not like anything you've ever tested on me before!”

Sucy looked elated, if a little bashful. “It's...It's tea. I made it myself...is it OK?” she mumbled, apprehensively.

“Yeah, it's lovely, thank you!” exclaimed Akko. “It's really nice, actually! What's in it?”

“Ah, that's a trade secret. But nothing unpleasant, don't worry. Only the finest for you, Akko.”

Akko stifled a giggle. “Aww, Sucy, you shouldn't have!” she laughed. “That's really sweet of you...can I have some more?”

Grinning happily, Sucy ladled some more tea from her cauldron into a little china cup, before handing it to Akko. “Here you go! Enjoy.” she replied. “Oh, sorry, how rude of me, did you want any, Lotte?”

Lotte nodded. “Sure, why not? It does smell good!”

Sucy poured out a cup for Lotte, who took it with both hands, before taking a sip herself. To Sucy's satisfaction, she too seemed to appreciate the drink, judging by her expression.

“Oh, that's wonderful!” she gasped, taking another slurp. “I love it, it's such a unique flavour!”

“Thanks, Lotte. Took a while, but I think I got it just right, heh heh.”

Akko looked up from her tea, wiping her mouth. “Man, that really does hit the spot, Sucy! Makes a change from the poisons, too!” she said, earnestly.

Sucy flashed a sharp-toothed smile. “Well, I was about to say, I thought it was about time I did some _nice_ chemistry for a change.” she replied. “Consider this a long-service reward for being such a good guinea pig...and, uh, an early Christmas present for being such a wonderful friend...”

“Awwww, you're so sweet, you know, Sucy?” cooed Akko. “You really are just such a cutie!”

The Filipino girl blushed, and she stared bashfully at the floor. “T-Thanks, Akko... God, I'm never quite going to get used to this.” she murmured, softly.

She still wasn't quite sure how to respond to such compliments, being as she was utterly unused to them. But, she had to admit, it certainly made a pleasant change from the normal treatment she received.

“Anyway,” cut in Lotte. “How did it go with Diana? Everything settled?”

“...Oh, yes!” Akko hesitated to answer. She'd almost forgotten about what had happened in the main hall, which was probably for the best. “She, uh, she seemed to be in good form! Everything's sorted anyway, no harm done!”

She was lying through her teeth, of course, but she knew it wasn't right to tell the truth to Sucy right now. After how seemingly unsettled she'd been by the merest worry of something going on between her and Diana, confirming those suspicions would probably be a very bad idea.

Fortunately, her deceit went unnoticed, and her two room-mates smiled. “Oh, well that's wonderful, then!” said Lotte, cheerily. “I'm so glad that's all mended, I was a bit worried over that!”  
  
Akko nodded. “Yeah, it's all good. Nothing to worry about anymore.”

“Glad to hear it.” Sucy said happily, but with a hint of naughtiness. “Last thing we needed was a Christmas argument, hee hee.”

“Oh, boy, don't even joke about it! The amount of fights we've had between my parents and relatives over the dinner table...ugh....”

Sucy suddenly looked a little ashamed. “A-Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to touch a nerve.” she said, guiltily.

“Hey, don't worry about it, it's not a big deal.” replied Akko. “Nothing tragic, just the usual crap really. “You don't push Akko hard enough” this, “Well you push your son too hard” that...”

Lotte raised an eyebrow. “Oh dear, Akko, that must get pretty tiresome.” she sighed. “I'd get sick of that if I had that to deal with every year.”

Akko just shrugged. “Eh, it doesn't matter, you get used to it. My family's nice, just some of the relatives are kinda...opinionated is all.”

“Anyway,” said Sucy. “Anyone else fancy some lunch right about now? I'm feeling pretty hungry.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” replied Lotte. “What about you, Akko?”

The Japanese witch nodded. “Sure, I could go for a nibble myself!” she giggled. “Shall we, then?”

“Ooh, there we go!” Jasminka exclaimed with joy as she released the gingerbread cake from its tin onto a cooling rack. “This might be the best one I've done yet!”

The steaming cake was a rich, dark brown, and shaped like a Christmas tree, still glistening slightly. It smelled quite wonderful, the heady scent of ginger and molasses wafting from its surface, and filling the room with delightfully festive aromas.  
  
“Damn, but that smells good!” said Amanda. “You really do have a talent for this sorta thing, don'tcha?”

The Russian witch let out a little chuckle. “Well, I've always loved cooking, and I like to help my mama out at home, so I suppose I am well practiced. But you should see the things she can make- you haven't lived until you've tasted her Medovik...”

Amanda couldn't help but smile at Jasminka's humility. She really was one of the warmest, most genuine people she'd ever met, and she was eternally grateful for having her as a room-mate and a friend- and that was quite aside from the way she plied her and Constanze with snacks.

She crossed her arms. “I tell ya, I am so glad ya volunteered to help with the cooking for the Winter Ball buffet! ” she said excitedly. “And boy am I psyched to see what ya do!”

“Hey, I just want to help any way I can.” Jasminka replied. “Besides, it's no great hardship for...Oh, Constanze, that still needs a bit of time to cool off, it won't be long now!”

Constanze was staring intently at the gingerbread, practically eating it with her eyes in a most comical manner. She looked for all the world like she would leap onto the counter and run off with the cake in her mouth, a mental image that was particularly amusing given how generally quiet and unemotive she was.

“Come on, now, it'll only take a little while before it's ready!” tittered Jasminka, patting the diminutive Austrian girl on the head. “No need to be impatient.”

The tiny girl nodded, mournfully, and turned away from the steaming cake. “Hmf.” she grunted.

“Anyway, that reminds me for some reason,” said Amanda. “Whaddaya say we do somethin' special for Luna Nova's newest pair of lovebirds? Dunno about you guys but I think we could wangle somethin' for the Ball, give 'em the spotlight a bit!”

Jasminka stroked her chin, pensively. “It'd be nice, for certain, but what do you think we should do? We don't want to cause a mess on such a special event after all.”

“Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, I definitely don't wanna do anythin' stupid, but I reckon we should see if we can arrange a shoutout at the very least.”

The Russian nodded. “Hmm...I'll try talking to the staff about it!” she said at last. “You're right, we should do something, and I'm sure they won't mind doing a little mention!”

“Hmf!” Constanze grunted in agreement.

Amanda grinned. “Neat! Tell ya what, try and see if we can arrange a meeting with Ursula,” she said, confidently. “I wanna do this right, an' I think she'd know what to do!”

Jasminka clapped her hands together. “Good idea! I'll do that, and how about you go and talk to Diana about it too? I'm sure she could do something helpful!”

“Sure, I'll do that!” replied Amanda. “Let's get some lunch first, and then we'll get that sorted. Just don't give the game away, we wanna keep this a surprise!”

Akko, Sucy and Lotte sat around the cafeteria table, chatting as they ate lunch. The hall was unusually busy, with most of the tables surrounded by young witches, and the air was abuzz with all manner of conversations.

“...Anyway, there should be a big Christmas market on when I go home for the holiday.” said Lotte. “I'll try and bring something back for when we meet up again next year!”

“That'd be great!” said Akko, enthusiastically. “I'm probably just gonna take the opportunity to spend some time with my family, but we'll see!”

Sucy smiled. “That sounds really nice, I hope you both have a nice time.” she said. “I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, I've not really got anywhere to go.”

Akko cracked a wry grin, eyes filled with mischief. “Oh, I know _exactly_ what you're gonna do!” she giggled, naughtily. “You're coming back home with me!”

“Heh, that would be good,” the lilac-haired girl replied. “A shame I couldn't...wait, are you serious?”

“Of course I'm serious! I'm not going to leave the girl I love on her own with nowhere to go back to, now, am I? Especially not over Christmas!”

Sucy's face was a contradictory mishmash of complete shock, slight embarrassment and utter joy. She wasn't quite sure how to process what she'd just been told; she could hardly say the prospect of spending Christmas at Akko's was anything other than delightful, but even so, she felt totally unprepared.

“Akko, you...” she said at last. “...Are you sure?”

The Japanese girl nodded furiously. “Of course I'm sure! It'd make my Christmas, and besides, it's no problem for us!” she said, merrily. “We even have a guest room if you ever need some space!”

“I...I'd love that!” exclaimed Sucy, whose cheeks were now bright red. “I-I mean, if it's OK, anyway...I mean, will your parents mind about...you know...”

“Oh, there's nothing to worry about, my parents are really nice!” replied Akko. “They won't mind one bit.”

Sucy breathed a sigh of relief. Akko's optimism and certainty over everything was oddly reassuring to her- ironic, considering how not too long ago it had been the exact opposite, but she wasn't complaining. And in any case, the opportunity to meet Akko's family was strangely exciting.

“You really are just the best, Akko.” she said. “I love you so much.”

Akko giggled, smiling sweetly. “Awww, I love you too, Sucy!” she replied, happily.

Lotte felt her heart melt a little, watching the pair fawning over each other. She would never in a million years have expected them to end up like this from how they'd been at the start of the year, but seeing them like this, it made her feel strangely proud of them. They had both matured so much since they'd come to Luna Nova; Sucy had managed to escape from her cocoon of hostility and fear, and Akko had become so much more patient and thoughtful. They were like completely new people, and it made Lotte feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

“That's so lovely, Akko!” she said at last, starry-eyed. “I hope you can get that sorted out, that'd be such a wonderful thing for both of you!”

“Eh, nothing to worry about there, if it was anything like our trip to your family it should be A-OK.”

Sucy stifled a mischievous chuckle. “So, we'll catch Green Man disease again?”

“Hey, there's no weird herring pies in my household, thank you very much!” Akko retorted, feigning hurt. “Although on that note, I'll be sure to ask mum to get some mushrooms in, we have some really nice kinds in Japan!”

The Filipino's eye lit up. “Mushrooms? Ooh, now you're talking my language, hee hee!” she giggled. “Well, technically, if you were talking my language  you'd be saying “ ang aming mga kabute ay magaling”  but-”

“You should try teaching me some Filipino!” Akko cut in. “Or was it Tagalog? Either way I'd love to know more about it!”

Sucy looked a little daunted. “Trust me, Akko, you don't.” she said, flatly. “Even I'm not evil enough to try and make you speak my mother tongue. It's... weird .”

Akko shook her head. “Hey, there's nothing evil about you, Sucy. Please don't talk about yourself like that.”

“I was only joking, but...you are right, I guess.”

She sighed, with an air of melancholy.

“Come on, now, Sucy, how hard can it be?” said Lotte. “I've tried studying Filipino, it can't be much worse than Finnish!”

“That is true, your language sounds like a nightmare.” she replied. “But believe me, it is _not_ easy.”

Lotte smirked naughtily. “Oh no? Well, hindi ko bibilhin ang rekord na ito, ito ay gasgas!”

Sucy blinked. “I- I'm impressed, Lotte. What else do you-”

“Ang mga tao ay namatay kapag sila ay pinatay! Maglalakbay ako sa araw upang patunayan na ang tao ay hindi mainit! Rip at pilasin hanggang sa magawa ito! Gusto kong bilhin ang iyong anak na babae!”

There was a brief silence as Sucy struggled to contain wheezes of laughter.

“...Oh, diyos ko...” she spluttered at last. “I mean, it's not exactly the most useful for conversation, but...that was good pronunciation?”

Akko looked incredibly confused. “Uh...what did any of that mean?” she said, as she tried to make sense of what sounded to all the world to her like Martian.

“Utter nonsense, that's what.” chuckled Sucy. “But yeah, if we ever visit my homeland, let me do the talking.”

“Sounds good to me, I don't think I'd ever get my noodle around that.” sighed Akko.

Sucy smiled, gently. “Nothing to worry about, I wouldn't recommend a trip there any time soon anyway.” she said. “Though, there is one bit of my language I'd like you to learn...”

Akko nodded. “Oh? What's that?”

Sucy averted her gaze, nervously.

“...Mahal kita...”

Somehow, in spite of never having spoken a word of Filipino in her life, Akko instantly understood those words, and the weight of meaning they carried.

“Mahal kita, Sucy.” she said, softly.

  
Diana paced up and down in her room, arms folded behind her back.

She'd been racking her brain trying to work out what was wrong with her, but somehow she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She hadn't been feeling well for a while now in spite of being perfectly physically healthy, and her normally cool and collected judgement had completely gone out the window. Even just thinking straight seemed difficult- and as for her complete lapse of decorum in front of Akko...

Something wasn't right. She must have been cursed. She would never say something so monumentally daft under normal circumstances. Someone must have placed some kind of hex upon her to befuddle and confuse her.

Perhaps Wilma, upon her abrupt exit from Luna Nova, had released some kind of jinx onto her as a last act of spite? That would make sense; perhaps this was her way of getting back at Akko, poor sweet, innocent Akko, to try and-

No, no, no! There she was again! Thinking silly soppy thoughts about Akko again! What kind of curse was this? How had she completely failed to notice the effects of it until just now? And how come she had a sneaking suspicion she had felt like this before even the missile affair?

What was it about that ridiculous, buffoonish, clumsy, sweet, gentle, loveable little girl from Japan that left her unable to think about anything else? Was it the way she believed so fervently in herself and her friends? Was it her cute, pixie-like appearance with her dumb doe eyes and ridiculous haircut? Was it the exhilarating thrill of riding to the edge of space with her to save the world? Was it-

Diana stopped pacing, and felt her fists clench. This was no spell or jinx. This was that most insidious of curses- love.

She wanted to scream. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. How long had she felt like this? Had she been in denial the whole time? Had Sucy's newfound affection for her made her jealous? And why _Akko_?

“Oh, by the Nine...” she gasped, falling to her knees. “I'm actually in love with Akko!”

“Is that so?” came a slightly Scottish voice from behind her. “I think I can help with that...”

Diana practically felt her heart burst out of her chest. She jerked her head around, searching for the source of the intrusion.

Standing before her was a short, freckled, pale-skinned girl wearing the standard Luna Nova uniform, with a grey sash. Her mousey brown hair was done in neat pigtails, and her eyes were a dull greyish-green.

“W-Who are you?!” spluttered Diana. “How did you get in here?”

“My name is Margaret O'Loch,” intoned the girl. “And I'm here to help you. As for how I got in here...let's just say I have my ways.”

The Cavendish couldn't help but feel somewhat unnerved. The security in Luna Nova was incredibly tight, especially after the Croix mess, how had this girl she'd never seen before managed to sneak in?

“Y-You know, it's rather rude to creep into somebody's room uninvited.” she said, regaining her composure. “I don't know how you got in, but you had better have a good reason for being here.”

Margaret smiled. “Now now, Diana, as I said, I'm here to help you.” she replied. “I've been watching you for a while, and you deserve better. I think it's about time someone made your wishes come true.”

“M-My wishes?”

“Of course,” said the girl, nodding. “I know how much she means to you. It isn't fair that you've done so much for her and yet you've been cast aside. I think you deserve her.”

Diana gasped, and felt her cheeks becoming flushed.

“You...You mean Akko?” she murmured. “I mean, I suppose it's true...I do love her, but...”

Margaret folded her arms. “Ah, yes, the small matter of Sucy.” she sighed. “I suppose that could be tricky, but I think I might know a way around that. You see-”

“Now hang on a minute,” exclaimed Diana with horror. “I can't take Akko away from Sucy, that just isn't fair! After what she's been through...”

“All's fair in love and war, Diana.” retorted the girl. “And if you knew more about Sucy, you'd be feeling a lot less sorry for her. I've...heard things.”

Diana paused, feeling the colour drain from her face.

“...What sort of things?”

Shaking her head, Margaret continued. “Oh, I shouldn't gossip.” she sighed. “But there's more to her than she lets on. And between you and me, I don't think her attachment to Akko is entirely savoury, nor beneficial to either of them.”

Questions buzzed in Diana's brain. What was this girl talking about? Sucy had, perhaps, been rather abrasive at times, but that was about it- and from what she understood about her past, it was no surprise she had been a bit prickly on occasion. Yet she seemed so certain...What did Margaret know about her that she didn't?

“Look, Margaret,” she said at last. “How do you intend to help me? Even if you are right about Sucy, I can't just tell Akko how much I love her and that she should toss her girlfriend aside.”

“Of course, of course. I'm going to give you the tools you need to rescue Akko.” she replied. “Here, let me show you.”

She removed a small draw-string bag from her pocket and handed it to Diana, carefully. The bag was unusually heavy for its tiny size, much to Diana's surprise.

“This bag will give you everything you require.” she said, earnestly. “It only produces what you need when you need it, so you won't need to worry about fumbling around for the right thing in a hurry.”

Diana nodded. “OK, but what's in it exactly?”

Margaret winked. “You will see, don't worry about that.” she said. “But first there is something you will need from it.”

Slipping the draw-string open, Diana reached her fingers inside and withdrew a smooth haematite ring, unadorned save for a tiny opal set into it.

“This little ring contains powerful fortune charms and wisdom enchantments.” said Margaret, matter-of-factly. “It will increase your luck and help you make the right decisions.”

“I see...” the blonde witch said, hesitantly. “I certainly hope it does.”

Gingerly, she slipped the ring onto her finger. She felt a strange, almost electric tingling in her body as she did so, emanating from the ring. Clearly this was no mere toy, for it to create such a sensation.

“I feel a bit strange,” she said, as she inspected the trinket on her finger. “But...I do feel more decisive.”

“Excellent!” the mysterious girl replied. “I shall leave you for now, but if you ever need my help again, just rub the ring three times and whisper “Help” into it. I wish you good luck.”  
  
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Diana. “W-Wait, before you go,” she said, anxiously. “Why are you helping me? I've never met you before...what brought this on?”

The girl sighed, and stared at the floor.

“...I had someone I loved once.” she said, mournfully. “But I let them slip through my fingers, and...well, I don't want to see someone else make the same mistakes I made.”

She shook her head slowly. “But anyway, enough of that. Best of luck, Diana.”

With that, she snapped her fingers and vanished, without even a wisp of smoke, leaving not a single trace of her ever having been there, save for the little bag that the Cavendish was now holding.

Diana was very, very confused. For a girl she'd never even seen before to somehow gain access to her room, only to offer to help her with winning over Akko, should have raised instant alarm bells. Yet somehow, she couldn't quite focus on anything else beyond the chance of taking Akko for herself. Odd as it was, her wariness took the back seat to her excitement.

“Akko, I'll have you yet...” she sighed, wistfully, as she admired the ring Margaret had gifted her. Little did she notice that the opal set in the ring was staring back at her.

Amanda strode down the hallway towards Diana's room, smiling confidently.

As she'd discussed with Jasminka and Constanze earlier, she was going to find Diana and discuss plans for getting Akko and Sucy mentioned during the Winter Ball. Nothing extravagant of course, but just a bit of time in the spotlight for the couple would be something she was certain the prodigy would be able and willing to arrange, and would make them very happy.

She hoped Diana would take it the right way, of course. Though nobody else seemed to notice, it was quite clear to Amanda at least that the Cavendish had something of a soft spot for Akko. She didn't want to rub salt in the wound now that Akko had shacked up with Sucy after all.  
  
Well, maybe a _bit_ , but certainly not to cause harm.

Eventually, she came to Diana's room, and rapped her knuckles on the door. “Diana, you in there?” she called to her, eagerly. “It's Amanda, I got somethin' I wanted to talk about!”

"O-Oh, excuse me a moment!” came her reply, sounding oddly flustered. “I'll be right with you!”

“No worries, take your time!”

After a few moments, the door opened and Diana appeared- and almost immediately, Amanda could tell something was ever so slightly amiss. Her hands were trembling slightly, and her posture was just a smidge less impeccable than it usually was. Her smile, usually kind and genuine, was bizarrely forced looking. And her eyes...there was something wrong with her eyes.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” said Diana, almost artificially cheerfully. “Do come in, I'm sure-”

“Are...Are you OK?” interrupted Amanda, who was feeling a strange mixture of creeped out and concerned. “You look kinda...funny.”

Diana nodded frantically. “Oh, yes, I'm fine, I've just over-exerted myself with the decorating is all!” she replied, not particularly convincingly. “But anyway, come in, would you like some tea?”

“Right, so what did you need to ask me?” queried Diana, as she poured a cup of Darjeeling tea out for Amanda.

“Well, it's about the Winter Ball.” she repsonded. “Me, Jas and Consey were thinkin' it'd be nice for Akko and Sucy to get some kind of shoutout or somethin' in the dance. D'ya think you could help with that?”

Diana felt her pulse racing again. The mention of Akko and Sucy immediately put her on edge, perhaps as a result of the conversation she'd had with Margaret. Yet somehow, she almost instinctively knew how to reply.

“I suppose that can be arranged!” she answered, with an abruptness that she hadn't quite intended to use. “I-I mean, I'll see what I can do, that would be...nice?”

Amanda winced. “Hey, Diana, it was just a question.” she said, taken aback by Diana's behaviour. “Are you sure you're feeling alright?”

“Yes, fine thank you!” she replied. “But, yes, I'll absolutely see what can be done there, I think that's a great idea!”

“Oh, I'm glad to hear it!” the Irish-American said, trying not to let her face betray how confused she was by the Cavendish's erratic conduct. “Did ya have any ideas in particular?”

Diana shook her head. “N-No, nothing yet, I still need to think about specifics.” she said. “But give me a while and I'll see what I can think of. I definitely think they deserve some kind of spotlight.”

Nodding, Amanda stood up from her seat. “Right, OK...well, I'll leave ya to it then, no point me hangin' around here! Thanks, Diana.”

“Not a problem! Take care!”

Amanda smiled, and promptly left the room. As she did, she felt a shiver run down her spine, as if she'd just been touched by some mysterious presence.

 _What the heck was all that about?_ She wondered. _Something's not right..._

  
Margaret strolled through the Luna Nova grounds with a spring in her step, whistling cheerfully as she felt the frosty grass crunch underneath her shoes.

She hadn't expected Diana to agree to the plan so readily, but it was no worry. It just saved on any further encouragement being necessary, which was highly convenient. It was quite astonishing that the Cavendish hadn't been more wary, but then love did funny things to people's judgements.

Heh. Love. What a ridiculous concept. The very idea of it made her chuckle. To devote oneself to someone else...how exceedingly foolish.

Still, it didn't matter. The point was that Diana was playing along nicely. Now that she was wearing the ring, her scheme was almost guaranteed to work.

In any event, there was nothing else she could do for now. It was time to retreat temporarily and avoid being seen. The disguise magic would only hold up for so long today, after all.

She removed a tiny hand mirror from her pocket, and inspected her face. Yes, now was a good time to withdraw, she could see the effects of the spell wearing off already. Now would not be the time to be caught off-guard.  
  
The girl smiled a poisonous grin as her eyes began to turn a bright, acid green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely apologize for the ridiculous delay between chapters; between various IRL distractions, lockdown madness and general slacking I've been unusually slow with writing this. Next time will hopefully be a bit...quicker. Who knows, the fic might actually be finished before Christmas 2020!
> 
> I would also like to point out the Filipino/Tagalog in this chapter was entirely provided by Google Translate and thus may not be very accurate, at all. Fortunately, as it is entirely either short sentences that are difficult for even Google to mess up or meme-filled nonsense, it shouldn't be terribly egregious. Regardless, my sincere apologies to any Filipino-speakers who may have cringed from my butchery of the language.


	3. Akko, It's Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is not well with Diana, and Amanda can see it, plain as day. But will she be able to warn her friends before something dreadful happens?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter got a bit angstier than I was originally intending, and whilst in no way intended to piss anyone off, zealous DiAkko shippers may want to have a nice calming beverage at the ready, because...yeah.
> 
> Consider yourself cautioned.

“Nope, somethin' just ain't right.” muttered Amanda to herself as she paced down the corridor. “She was actin' real funny...”

Her brief meeting with Diana had been rather unproductive, but worse than that it had been unsettling. The more she thought about how she'd been, the weirder it seemed. Quite aside from how oddly curt and snappy she had been, she had looked downright unwell. Between her shaking hands, weird stance and jerky movements, it was like someone or something was moving her like a puppet. And her eyes, they looked more like those of a dead fish than the bright blue eyes Amanda was used to.

Yet it wasn't just what she saw or heard from Diana that left her feeling so unnerved, it was what she felt. There had been some kind of chilling aura around her, one that left Amanda feeling incredibly uncomfortable, and quite frankly it had not been pleasant talking to her or even being near her at all.

Something evil was afoot. She wasn't sure what, but she needed to find out, before-

“Oh, hey Amanda!” said Sarah Bernhardt, breaking Amanda out of her haze. “I don't suppose you've seen Diana anywhere, have you?”

Amanda scratched her head. “It's funny you mention that, I was just talkin' to her just now.” she replied. “She's in her room, but...”

“But?”

The Irish-American shook her head. “Well, somethin's...off about her. Like, I don't think she's doin' so well.” she sighed. “She looks kinda...sick.”

Sarah's brow furrowed. “What kind of sick? Do you think she needs to go to the infirmary?”

“She's, I dunno how to describe it,” continued Amanda. “But like, she's kinda actin' like a zombie...a grouchy zombie.”

The tall girl stroked her chin, pensively. “Hmmm, that is odd.” she said. “Maybe she's overworked from doing the decorating? People can be funny when they're tired.”

Amanda slumped her shoulders. “Jeez, I hope that's all it is...” she gasped. “But between you 'n' me, she's actin' more like she's on somethin' funky.”

“Oh good lord! You think so?” exclaimed Sarah. “I always thought Diana was far too straight-laced for something like that, unless someone appropriated Sucy's mushrooms for a prank or something...”

“Hey, I'm not saying she _is_ doin' narcotics, just that she's kinda actin' like it.”

Sarah nodded. “Ah, of course. But yeah, I just hope she-”

“Breaking news, breaking news, read all about it!” boomed the megaphone-amplified voice of Wangari from behind them, over-excited as always. “Shape shifting ghost sighted on Luna Nova grounds! Staff deny all knowledge! Also festive special edition crossword!”

The two girls rolled their eyes and turned to face the boundlessly eager amateur reporter, their ears ringing a little from the deafening announcement.

“Goddamnit, Wangari, do you have any mode other than loud?” whined Amanda. “I think I've got tinnitus now.”

The Kenyan witch just laughed, mercifully lowering her megaphone. “Sorry about that, gotta make sure the news gets heard is all, heh heh!” she chuckled. “But anyway, can I interest you in a paper? Some very interesting stories in it!”

“Sure, why not?” answered Sarah. “Has to be an improvement on The Sunday Watchman. Let me tell you, I've never seen such a load of-”

“Yeah, that'll do, Sarah, that'll do.” Amanda cut her off. Whilst it was true that The Sunday Watchman was an absolute rag, she had more important things to think about than the horrendous state of modern professional journalism. “But yeah, thanks, I'll have a copy too.”

Grinning, Wangari handed over a pair of the bundled newspapers to the two girls. “Here you go! Hopefully we've managed to avoid any spelling mistakes this time, I'm still embarrassed over letting “Luna Nova Librery” slip through...”

The duo both nodded in gratitude as they received the papers. “Thanks!” said Amanda, flipping open the publication.

“Shape shifting ghost?” said Sarah, raising an eyebrow. “Well, that'd be a first. I thought Vajarois was the only ghost in this school?”

“Yeah, that is odd.” added Amanda. “And from the picture they look...kinda familiar?”

Wangari shrugged. “Believe me, we're as surprised as you. We asked the staff but they didn't seem to know anything about it.”

Amanda scratched her head. “Hmm. Best be on the lookout for anythin' weird like that I guess. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a student here with a grey sash on, that's really strange.” she said. “Weren't those meant for funerals if a student died here?”

“Well, maybe it _is_ a ghost then...” pondered Sarah. “Maybe we should try a séance?”

Both Wangari and Amanda involuntarily shivered. “Uh, maybe not!” exclaimed the African. “That sounds like a first-class ticket on the Possession Express to Demontown!”

“Yeah, that's a big yikes from me...” shuddered Amanda. “I don't fancy meddlin' with that spooky stuff over what could be a prank.”

Sarah looked rather taken aback. “Whoa, sorry, it was just an idea!” she said, a touch defensively. “Besides, Wangari, don't they do voodoo and stuff back where you come from?”

“Hey, are you insinuating that I'd be OK with voodoo and black magic just because I'm from Africa?” retorted the Kenyan. “That's a bit insensitive isn't it?”

“Oh god, sorry, I did NOT think of that!” spluttered Sarah. “I'm not a racist I swear, please don't-”

Wangari snorted with laughter. “Relax, Sarah, I'm joking! I don't give a damn.” she chuckled. “Honestly, I'd like to think I'm a bit thicker skinned than the morons writing for The Sunday Watchman.”

“Wait, you hate the Watchman too!?” exclaimed the redhead. “At last, I thought I was the only one!”

Wangari nodded furiously. “Oh believe me, you have no idea! I swear that paper is a money laundering scheme, there is absolutely no way such abysmal writing should be able to keep them afloat.” she replied. “They've even scribbled about our school, you know!”

“I know the story you mean! Wasn't that the one where they went on a diatribe about how we need to start teaching postmodern criticisms of famous witches or something, pretending they knew the first thing about magic?”

Amanda pointed at her watch. “Uh, I'd love to stick around an' listen to you two put the world to rights, but I gotta go, I got stuff to do.” she said, as politely as possible and hopefully not betraying that she really didn't have time to listen to Wangari and Sarah prattle on for hours about newspapers. “I'll seeya later, alright?”

“No worries! Oh, and let me know if you see that ghost!” said Wangari.

Nodding, Amanda dashed off down the corridor, paper under her arm. She was going to give it a thorough reading through when she had a moment; she had a hunch that this ghost might have something to do with Diana acting funny.

First, however, she needed to talk to her room-mates.

  
  


  
  


“So, what next?” asked Akko as she, Sucy and Lotte strode off from the lunch table. “It's still not that late, we should get something productive done!”

Sucy grinned, with just a hint of mischief in her smile. “Well, that's the last thing I ever expected you to say, Akko.” she said. “But hey, no rush, not like we've got much that needs doing anyway. Assignments kinda slow down towards the holidays.”

Akko nodded, grinning herself. “Heh, touché!” she laughed, good-naturedly. Somehow, Sucy's digs were far less aggravating to her now; whilst it helped she had been far more restrained as of late, Akko couldn't help but enjoy the occasional ribbing from her.

“Oh, no, I just remembered!” exclaimed Lotte all of a sudden. “I've still got another chapter of that essay on prognostication to write! Argh, how did I forget about that?”

“Ah, man, that bites.” sighed Akko, sympathetically. “Did you want some help with it?”

Lotte shook her head. “Good lord, no, it's my fault for forgetting about it!” she said. “No, I need to get back to the library and sort it out. You two carry on, I'll join you later.”

It was obvious, of course, that she was up to something- she never slacked on her studies, and even Akko could see that she had an ulterior motive. But then again, the chances of Lotte doing anything underhanded were basically non-existent, so Akko wasn't worried in the slightest.

“Fair enough, Lotte. But lemme know if you do need any help!” replied Akko, winking- the wink she received back confirming her suspicions. “Good luck with that, anyway!”

The Finn beamed. “Alright, do excuse me! I'll see you guys later!” she said, cheerily. With that, she scampered off in the direction of the library.

“Well, that couldn't have been more blatant if she'd tried.” chuckled Sucy. “I wonder what she's up to?”

“Eh, who knows? Probably arranging some kind of surprise, I imagine.” responded Akko.

Sucy nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like her alright. That, or writing Night Fall fanfiction.”

“Oh god, you too?!” the Japanese witch gasped.

“Yeah, she used me as her proofreader. Let's just say it's a good job she left the writing job to Annabel.”

Akko began to smirk a little. “Oh well, not like I'd know about being roped into awful tasks by my room-mate, hee hee!” she said, snarkily.

Sucy attempted to keep a straight face, and failed, wheezing with laughter. “Heh, karma's a bitch, huh?” she responded, giggling. “But yeah, I can't apologize enough for all that, I hope-”

“Oh, relax, I could take it.” interrupted Akko. “Besides, you _did_ have to put up with my Shiny Chariot obsession. I'm surprised you didn't shove a death cap down that funnel before now.”

“Nah, death caps are far too mundane. Like I say, only the finest for you, Akko.”

Now it was Akko's turn to laugh. “Oh, goddamnit Sucy, it's a good job I love you so much!” she sniggered.

Sucy's cheeky grin softened into a gentle smile. “It really is...you have no idea.” she said, quietly.

Akko just nodded, smiling back at her.

“Actually, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking we should head somewhere else.” she said. “How about the botanical garden?”

The Filipino nodded  back . “Sounds good to me.”

  
  


  
  


“It really is lovely in here, isn't it?” said Akko, watching in awe as butterflies flitted to and from the various plants in the greenhouse garden. “It's just so pretty!”

“It sure is,” replied Sucy, examining one of the insects that had landed on her finger. “I'm glad you suggested this, there's so many cool things in here.”

As the butterfly took wing again and drifted away, she pointed to a small, ghostly blue bell-shaped flower growing by the bench the pair were sat on.

“This one, I remember seeing one of these back home.” she said, nostalgically. “Fairies' igloos, they called them. They only flower in winter, but they're remarkably hardy. I never thought I'd see them in this country...”

Akko stroked her chin. “If it's cold weather they like, they'd probably prefer it over here. Isn't it really hot over in the Philippines?”

“That's true, I hadn't thought of that.” said Sucy. “Whoever said you were the dumb one?”

“You, if I remember rightly!”

The lilac-haired girl tittered. “Got me there, heh heh...”

She sighed, deeply, and shifted slightly closer on the bench next to Akko.

“Akko...I'm so sorry for everything mean I ever did to you...” she mumbled. “I can't believe how nasty I was. I...I should have known better...”

Shaking her head, Akko put her hand on Sucy's shoulder. “Hey, Sucy, it's OK. There's nothing to worry about.” she said, softly. “I love you, and that's all that matters.”

“...I love you too...” replied Sucy, very quietly. “I don't know what I'd ever do without you...”

Spontaneously, she hugged Akko, burying her face in her shoulder. “God, Akko, I love you so much...” she gasped, holding tightly on to the Japanese girl. “You're a miracle...”

Akko returned the hug, gently patting her on the back. “It's OK, Sucy, everything's gonna be OK.” she cooed. “I'll always be here for you...”

“I...I hope so...”

Eventually, Sucy broke off the embrace, somewhat hesitantly. She was blushing heavily, and staring at the floor.

“I'm sorry, I'm so bad at this.” she murmured. “I hope you don't mind.”

“Hey, what did I say about not apologizing for everything?” chided Akko. “You're OK, you don't need to be sorry for just existing.”

Sucy nodded. “I know, I know...” she replied. “I'm s- oh damnit, I nearly did it again...but, there was something I did want to ask.”

“Sure, what was it?”

“Well, you asked me what I wanted for Christmas,” she continued, slightly apprehensively. “So I was wondering...what did you want?”

Akko's mouth curled into a grin, and she giggled sweetly.

“I just want to see you smile, Sucy...” she said at last.

Sucy's eye widened- and then she smiled, possibly the most genuinely happy smile she'd made in her life.

“Sorry...Looks like I couldn't wait 'till Christmas.” she whispered, playfully.

There was a brief, beautiful silence- then they kissed.

  
  


  
  


Ursula sat at her desk in her office, pouring over health and safety documentation for the Luna Nova Winter Ball. Most of it seemed like meaningless legalese mumbo-jumbo to her, indistinguishable from the forms she'd had to check last year, but Professor Badcock had insisted that it needed a full review due to the implementation of new font. Why she couldn't just skip to the parts about the proposal for the event itself she wasn't sure, but she hadn't the willpower to argue it with Samantha. And in any event, she certainly didn't want to let her her dislike of bureaucracy get in the way of the Ball, considering what a special event it was.

“Section 36, Heading B, “Preventative Actions In Event Of Gnome Riots”?” she sighed as she read over the parchment. “Last time there was a gnome riot in this school, the entire castle had to be locked down, I'm not sure what use half this would be...Oh, Alcor, I hate red tape so much...”

Alcor squawked in agreement, the bird eyeing the paper quizzically. He certainly was not envious of his mistress, being blighted with the requirement to fill out badly-formatted paperwork. Having no hands definitely had perks.

Sighing, Ursula flipped over to the next page. She had a lot on her mind, and if she was honest it was hard to focus on the paperwork with other, more important thoughts running around her brain. Specifically, thoughts regarding Akko.

She felt she had let the girl down a bit recently. Considering she was supposed to be her mentor, she'd been so busy lately she'd barely gotten the opportunity to catch up with her. She'd scarcely even seen her this past week, which felt particularly poor of her given what had occurred.

By the Nine, what a mess that had been. Whilst she thought it showed particular maturity and growth on Akko's part, and she had absolutely no objections to Akko and Sucy's newfound love whatsoever, the actual events around it had been...shocking, to say the least. Poor Akko having to play therapist for Sucy, who herself had just lost the closest thing to a mother she had, _and_ then the pair of them dealing with being bullied on top of that... good grief.

She did hope their relationship would work out; for both the girls' sakes. Akko, whom she still felt deeply guilty over the Dream Fuel Spirit crippling her magic, could really grow as a person from it. And as for Sucy? The girl needed someone to love her more than just about anything.

Yes. Sucy...now there was an interesting case if ever there was one. Whilst Ursula had been guilty of harbouring uncharitable thoughts about her in the past due to her less than kind treatment of Akko, she really was a nice girl deep down. And having read her file recently regarding her life prior to arriving at Luna Nova, she couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed of judging her that way. She'd met nasty girls, both as a student and a teacher, and Sucy was definitely not that. Abrasive and temperamental, maybe. But she wasn't a bad egg.

Before she could collect her thoughts and return to the documents, there was a knock on the door. “O-Oh, do come in!” she called out to whoever was on the other side, secretly hoping it was Badcock telling her that the forms didn't need filling in anymore.

The door creaked open, and Jasminka and Constanze strode in, smiling politely.

“Ah, Constanze, Jasminka, it's good to see you!” she said, cheerfully. A visit from Akko's friends was usually a good thing, and in any event an excuse to not have to look at the papers was a welcome relief. “Please, have a seat!”

Jasminka beamed as she sat down. “Thank you, Ursula!” she replied, jolly as ever. “It's good to see you too!”

It was funny to her, really- for as much as “Ursula Callistis” was supposed to have been a cover name, a false identity, it had almost become her real name now. Everyone was so used to calling her Ursula that almost nobody actually called her Chariot, even with the return of her red hair. Even Akko still called her Ursula. Not that she minded, really; in some ways she actually preferred just being Professor Ursula, rather than some celebrity of yesteryear.

“Anyway, what can I do for you two?” she said, breaking herself out of her daydream. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh yes, just fine thank you.” said the tubby Russian. “But there was something we were hoping you could help us with, if you don't mind?”

Ursula nodded. “Well, that depends what it is, but I should imagine so. As long as it's not more paperwork, as you can see I'm a little entrenched at the moment.”

Jasminka giggled. “I should hope not. But anyway, we were wondering,” she continued. “Would it be possible to get some kind of shout-out for Akko and Sucy at the Winter Ball? We weren't thinking of anything major, just a little bit of time in the limelight for them.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” the professor replied. “I think that can be arranged for certain. Maybe a literal spotlight during the dance? That would be really special, I think.”

“Ooh, if that could be a done, that would be excellent!”

Smiling, Ursula reached for a piece of parchment and her quill. “I should think so, just let me write all this down. What do you think should be said? Something like-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door swung open again, and Amanda burst in, slightly out of breath and looking very worried.

“Oh, Amanda, how did it go with Diana?” asked Jasminka, seemingly oblivious to the panic on her face.

“...About that.” she replied, sounding incredibly unnerved. “Somethin's _wrong_ with Diana. Like, _real_ wrong.”

Ursula shook her head. “Oh dear, I had a feeling something like this might happen...” she muttered. “I'd hoped Diana would be more mature about it, but it seems she's not as in control of her feelings as she makes out.”

“No, Ursula, this ain't about Suce 'n' Akko. She's _weird_. Like, she looked ill when I spoke to her, an' she was actin' peculiar. An' her eyes...they were like glass.”

Ursula's smile vanished in an instant.

“Amanda, I need you to tell me exactly what you saw.” she said, incredibly gravely. “I have a feeling I know what's wrong. But I need to know how she was behaving.”

The redhead put her hands on her hips, and tapped her foot as she recalled the details. “She was...it's hard to explain, but she jus' wasn't herself. You know how she's always all prim 'n' proper, standing to attention an' all that? She was kinda slumped, an' she was tremblin' a bit.” she said, racking her brains for any noteworthy features of Diana's weird behaviour. “The way she moved, too, it was kinda...jerky?”

“Right, and what about her actual demeanour?

“Yeah, that was weird as heck too.” she continued. “She was all snappy an' rude, like she never is. But it wasn't, like, just sulky or anythin', it was...it was like someone was puttin' words into her mouth.”

Ursula's brow furrowed. “I see...Was there anything else unusual you noticed?”

Amanda scratched her head. “Lessee...The only thing I can think of, was she was wearin' a ring I ain't seen before...kinda shiny, but dark too-”

Before Amanda could as much as finish her sentence, Ursula had stood up  from her seat, fist clenched. Her expression was one they hadn't seen from her since the Croix affair.

“That I'd see the day one of those _things_ turned up at this school...” she said, almost threateningly. “You three, come with me. That paperwork is going to have to wait.”

Jasminka blinked. “I'm sorry, Ursula, what's going on?” she said, puzzled. “What do you mean, one of those  _things_ ?”

The teacher sighed, deeply. “ I'll explain later, Jasminka. For now, we need to find Diana...before it's too late.”

  
  


  
  


Elizabeth casually sauntered across the grounds, taking deep breaths of frosty air as she did so. The temperature had dropped quite considerably, and the sky had clouded over somewhat, but that was the main reason she'd come out; she needed to cool down from the stuffiness of the school interior.

Being a vampire, hip and edgy though it might seem at first, came with a huge amount of drawbacks. The need to consume blood was most obvious amongst these, but that could be worked around with animal blood, which as she saw it was no different from eating meat. But the other downsides were possibly even worse, at least to her. Most mirrors refusing to show her reflection, a quite severe allergy to garlic, a total inability to swim...

Above all else, though, there were two problems in particular that really made her dislike her vampiric heritage. The first- and the one she was suffering from at the moment- was her difficulty regulating body heat. Whilst the idea that sunlight would disintegrate her was utter nonsense, she had such a low tolerance for warmth that she had to take regular “cooldown breaks” to avoid overheating. The sun certainly didn't help with that of course, and summer was borderline intolerable, but even in the winter she suffered if the heating was turned up too high.

The second, and in her opinion the absolute worst, was the loneliness.

Despite not needing human blood to survive, contrary to popular belief (cursed forever be the name of Bram Stoker, she thought), there was a risk that if she were to suddenly be afflicted with the thirst in the middle of the night, she would be unable to control herself and could potentially attack another student. As such, she was not permitted room-mates, and her solitary dormitory was locked at night. She was not resentful over it- it was for everyone's safety after all- but she could not deny that spending every night on her own was quite upsetting. And even when she could interact with other students, most kept their distance from her. There were a few that were nice to her, but most of them clearly feared her despite their best attempts to deny it- some people might like that, but she didn't.

And then, there were the ones that were outright mean to her. Mostly this was just childish name-calling and the occasional extremely unfunny “practical joke” usually involving a crucifix (which made absolutely no difference to her anyway and was about as clever as calling someone with glasses “four eyes”) but sometimes she received far worse- usually from Wilma, at least until she'd been expelled.

On the plus side, though, even Amanda struggled to beat her in athletic skills, and being able to fly and turn into a bat was pretty cool. The latter especially- bats were so cute! Fuzzy little winged hamster things...Ooh, she loved them!

As she continued her walk, wandering past the glass-walled botanical garden, she noticed movement coming from within. Normally she wouldn't have bothered giving a second look to something so mundane, but for some reason she felt compelled to inspect closer.

Hesitantly, she crept up to the window pane of the garden and peered through into the interior, her piercing magenta eyes tracking back and forth as she sought the source of the movement.

Then she saw it, and nearly fell over backwards.

Akko and Sucy were sitting side by side on a bench, wrapped in each other's arms and in the midst of a passionate kiss. Whilst she had to admit it had not been what she was expecting to see, it was quite adorable nonetheless; the vampire had a soft spot for romance, and seeing the two lovers brought a smile to her face.

Still, probably best to leave the lovebirds in private, she reckoned. As sweet as they were, it wasn't right to spy on them.

She was about to leave when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

“O-Oh, sorry, I was just-” she began, as she turned to face the newcomer. But she trailed off when she saw who it was- Diana Cavendish, school prodigy, looking substantially worse for wear.

“You too, then?” said Diana in a voice that didn't quite sound like her.

Elizabeth felt every fibre of her body recoil from that voice. There was a foul presence about Diana, one that was completely at odds with the heiress' usual character.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “I'm just out here cooling down, you know how it is for me.”

Diana's gaze narrowed into a scowl. “Don't play dumb,” she said, aggressively. “You want her too, don't you? Well you can't have her. She's _mine_.”

The vampire took a step backwards. “As in, Akko?” she blurted. “No, of course not! I'd be into Sucy more anyway, she's more my type.”

“A fellow monster?”

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. That was a cruel thing to say, and she wasn't sure who to feel more hurt for- herself or Sucy.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she spluttered. “There's something wrong with you Diana, you're never like this! You-”

“Shut up and stay out of my way!” spat the Cavendish, before storming off in the direction of the botanical garden gate.

The vampire couldn't quite believe what had just happened- but she knew that if she didn't stop Diana, things were going to end very, very, very badly.

“...Oh no you don't...” she growled under her breath as she stalked after Diana.

  
  


  
  


“Oh god, Akko, I love you...” murmured Sucy, as the two girls finally broke off their kiss. “...You might be a kinda crummy witch, but you're a great kisser.”

Akko felt an involuntary grin creep onto her face. Sucy was nothing if not the master of the backhanded compliment- somehow even in a moment as emotional as this, she was making her giggle.

“Heh, watch yourself with that sharp tongue, I don't want to cut myself kissing you!” she chuckled. “But yeah...I love you too, Sucy.”

Their lips locked once more, and Akko squeezed Sucy tightly in her arms, the slender Filipino girl's delicate body warm to the touch.

“M-Mmf!” Sucy's eye snapped open wide, and she wriggled in Akko's clutch. “Akko, stop, stop...”

Akko broke off and released Sucy from her grip. “What's wrong?” she asked, concernedly. “Are you alright?”

Sucy shook her head. “A-Ah...sorry, Akko...” she replied. “I just...it happened again...I'm sorry, I don't know if I'll ever get over...that...”

“...Oh, Sucy...I'm sorry.” she sighed. “I didn't mean to-”

“Of course you didn't...” Sucy cut her off. “It's not your fault. One day I'll tell you what happened, but right now...I just can't.”

The Japanese witch just nodded. She didn't want to press the issue- if what had happened was anything like what she was imagining, then no way was she going to force Sucy to relive it- but she did hope that one day she'd be able to overcome the pain.

“It's alright, Sucy.” she said, quietly. “You're fine, we don't have to do anything you don't want to.”

Sucy smiled, meekly. “T-Thanks, Akko...I wish I wasn't like this.”

Before she could continue, however, the gate to the garden swung open with a creak, and in marched Diana, who seemed to be wearing an odd looking ring. Sucy's first thoughts of _I hope Diana isn't too jealous_ were replaced very swiftly with _good lord, Diana looks rough_.

She looked absolutely terrible- her movements were unsteady and poorly balanced, and her long blonde hair was oddly limp and matted. But worst of all were her eyes- those normally kind, thoughtful blue eyes looked more like marbles, dull and glazed, but with a deeply frightening predatory look.

“Oh...hello, Diana!” Sucy blurted, sheepishly. “Are you well? I hope-”

“ _Get away from her._ ” came the snarled response, her voice without a shred of humanity.

Akko jolted round to face Diana, shocked by what she was hearing. Surely that couldn't be the Diana Cavendish she knew? She barely ever as much as raised her voice..

“Diana?! What's the meaning of this?” she spluttered. “What's wrong? You look pretty bad, did you overwork yourself?”

The Cavendish's hands balled into fists. “Overwork myself?  What, you mean, give you everything and have it thrown in my face for some piranha-faced gremlin?” she seethed. “Because if so,  _yes I bloody well overworked myself!_ ”

Akko and Sucy's jaws practically hit the floor with shock.

“What the- Diana, you _know_ what Sucy's been through!” Akko exclaimed. “Why the hell would you say something like that!”

“Oh yes, boo hoo, she's had a tough life!” retorted Diana. “She's not the only one! Can't you see she's just an attention-seeking parasite?”

She fumed with anger, shuddering violently. “I could give you everything, Akko! What can she give you? Nothing! NOTHING! She can't even kiss you without breaking down!”

It was at that point that Akko exploded with rage.

“You utter...how _could you!?!?_ ” she yelled, striding towards Diana. “Do you have any idea what happened to her? Do you really think I'd be so selfish that I'd let that stop me loving her?! Love isn't about what you can get from someone, it's about who they are!”

There was a brief flicker of emotion in Diana's eyes for a fraction of a second. “Akko, do you really think-”

“No! Don't speak to me, you cow! You monster! Get away from me!”

Suddenly, Diana jerked bolt upright- then an absolutely monstrous expression took over her face.

“I didn't want to have to do this...” she growled. “But you leave me no choice...”

Before Akko could respond, Diana rushed forward and grabbed hold of the brunette, holding her uncomfortably close.

“A Cavendish always gets what they want, Akko...” she slurred, her sanity very clearly escaping her. Then she forcibly pressed her lips against Akko's, attempting to kiss her.

Sucy looked on in absolute horror, frozen with fear and despair. Akko- her beloved, sweet Akko- was being taken from her before her very eyes. She wanted to fight back, to wrest the girl from Diana's grip- but she was rooted to the spot, as painful memories began to flood back.

_I told you she was too good for you_ , came the voice in her head.  _Now look what you've let happen._

“P-P-Please, Diana...” Sucy bawled, barely able to form a coherent sentence. “Don't...Don't take her from me...She's all I have...!”

D iana's gaze shot to meet Sucy's, and her eyes gleamed evilly. But before she could say anything, Akko managed to push her off, forcing her away from her.

“Diana! You...I'll never forgive you for that!” she exclaimed. “What have-”

Before she could finish her sentence, something small and black streaked into the garden through the still open gate, before disappearing in a puff of black smoke- to be replaced with the form of Elizabeth, who hurtled through the air and onto Diana, tackling her to the floor.

“That's _enough_ , Diana!” she roared, pinning her to the ground. “You stay away from them!”

Diana struggled against the vampire's vice-like grip. “Get off of me, you bloodsucker!” she spat. “Nobody is getting between me and Akko again!”

Suddenly, as if the situation wasn't enough of a mess, Ursula, Amanda, Jasminka and Constaze charged into the garden. They looked absolutely mortified by what they saw.

“I knew it!” shouted Ursula. “Jasminka, Amanda, help hold her down! Constanze, help me get that ring off!”

The three girls nodded, and Amanda and Jasminka proceeded to join in with restraining the now-thrashing form of Diana.

“Goddamnit, Diana, control yourself!” snapped Amanda as she tried to grab hold of the blonde's arm.

Ursula rushed over to the melee, and grabbed Diana's hand. As she did so, Constanze took hold of the ring on her finger and quickly began to take it off, taking great care to try not to hurt her too much. For an awful second, it looked like it was stuck, actively fighting against attempts to remove it- then it slid off, and clattered to the ground.

Almost instantaneously, Diana stopped wriggling, and went quite still. The colour seemed to return to her hair, and her formerly empty eyes regained their inner light.

Her expression softened- and then, she wailed with horror.

“Oh...Oh my god...” she gasped. “What have I done?”

Ursula shook her head, and gestured for the other girls to release her. “It's alright, Diana.” she said, as softly as she could. “It wasn't your fault. You were being mind controlled by some _extremely_ nasty black magic.”

Diana sat up, and she began to sob. “I can't...I can't believe it...” she shuddered. “I'm so sorry...I did something awful, and now...”

Akko's furious expression began to fade as she realized what had transpired. She'd thought that Diana had looked weird when she entered the garden, and seeing her without that ring on, looking normal again...it explained it all. Whatever that was she'd witnessed from her- it _wasn't_ her.

“Diana...” she said, trying to maintain her composure. “It's...It's alright. You couldn't help it...are you OK?”

“Of course I'm not OK!” Diana cried. “I tried to force myself on you, and I said such horrible things...I can't believe I'd do that!”

“Because you _wouldn't_ do that!” exclaimed Akko. “It was that ring, not you!”

Ursula knelt down and picked up the ring, examining it closely. She turned it over in her hands, and almost dropped it when she saw the opal set into it stare back at her.

“Good heavens...” she gasped. “I've not seen a mind-manacle ring of this power for a while. Where did you find this, Diana?”

The blonde shook her head, mournfully. “I can't remember, my brain feels like it's been emptied...” she mumbled. “I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you.”

“I suspect whoever was using that thing to control her put an amnesia spell on it as a failsafe.” piped up Elizabeth. “Obviously they wouldn't want to be found out. Aren't mind-manacles like, _extremely_ illegal?”

The professor nodded. “They're absolutely forbidden, under the Black Magic Act of 1820.” she said, gravely. “How this even got in here I don't know, whoever did this is clearly incredibly resourceful, not to mention unscrupulous.”

“Say, Diana,” said Amanda, turning to the dishevelled looking girl. “Are you sure you can't remember anything about how you got that ring? You don't just end up with a powerful curse on you like that by accident.”

“I'm so sorry, my memory just isn't working right now. But, I'll let you know if I remember anything.”

Akko smiled weakly. “Of course, just let us know, OK?” she said, doing her best to sound cheery.

“I'll try...” she responded. “But...aren't you angry? I can't-”

“No, Diana, I'm not angry.” Akko interrupted. “Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. It was whoever did this to you. But...it's not me you need to apologize to.”

She gestured to Sucy, who was gazing at the floor with a thousand-yard stare.

Diana's face went white as snow. “Oh...Oh my god, Sucy...” she shuddered, feeling herself beginning to tear up. “I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I...I understand if you can't forgive me...”

Very slowly, Sucy met Diana's gaze, shaking her head.

“It's...alright, Diana...” she said at last, her voice hushed. “I forgive you. You were being manipulated...but, please, promise me something.”

The Cavendish nodded. “Anything.”

“Promise me you won't try and take her from me. I know you love her too, but...she's everything to me. Please, don't take her away...”

There was a brief silence, as Diana averted her gaze, shamefully.

“I promise.” she said at last. “I'm so sorry...I'll never do anything like that again. On my honour as a Cavendish, I swear it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, that all got a bit grim! Don't worry though, the rest of the fic will be considerably less dark and serious from this point onwards. That's probably enough gloom for this fic.
> 
> A few notes:  
> >Elizabeth is of course the vampire witch who was originally drawn up in the concept art stage for the OVAs, given some backstory/personality by yours truly. I'm imagining her with magenta eyes and black hair as she never made it past lineart.  
> >I cannot stress this enough, this wasn't intended as some kind of anti-DiAkko stunt. Even if it's not my preferred ship, I'm not the kind that would use this sort of thing to take potshots at other people's ships. In any event, she'll get her chance to shine later in the fic.  
> >The horrible thing that happened to Sucy in her past might be revealed, but not in this fic. I kinda want to do a standalone "flashback" fic at some point once this is finished, but I need to work out how to best approach it. And quite frankly, after mind controlled Diana, I think this story is in need of some more fluff.  
> >I tried a new formatting method for this story, hopefully the paragraphs aren't totally butchered.  
> As always my apologies for the criminally slow updates. I'd like to say next time will be faster, but we'll see. I'd rather chapters be slow than rushed.


	4. Cold War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana has been freed of the mind-manacle, but the culprit is only just getting started. Meanwhile, Sucy has somewhere she wants to go...

  
  


  
  


Amanda was late.

It had been quite a while now since Lotte had arrived at the library, expecting to meet with the Irish-American within the hour, and she was still absent. She was beginning to worry that something had happened to her; Amanda was true to her word, and somehow Lotte doubted that she'd be intentionally avoiding her.

She'd only wanted to discuss a few ideas with her on the subject of the Winter Ball- nothing particularly urgent, just frivolities really- but this no-show was odd. Sure, it had been a while since they'd made the arrangement at breakfast, but Amanda would have told her if she'd been otherwise waylaid, and she was rarely late for anything. Given how impatient she could be, she'd be more likely to be the one arriving early.

Where could she be? This wasn't like her at all.

Lotte was about to give up and just start reading something when the door of the library slid open, the old brass hinges squeaking. She looked over, hoping Amanda had finally arrived, but was disappointed to discover it was just Linh, carrying a book under her arm.

Her disappointment must have shown on her face, however, as Linh shot Lotte a rather confused look. “Is something wrong?” she asked, timidly.

“Oh, no, sorry, I was waiting for someone.” replied Lotte, hoping she hadn't come across as rude. “I thought you were someone else for a moment!”

The olive-haired witch nodded. “Ah, I see, my apologies.” she said. “Do excuse me, I have to put this book back.”

“Actually, can I talk to you for a moment? I've not got much else to do until Amanda arrives, and...well, I need to talk to someone.”

Linh just smiled. “Sure, why not?” She strode over to the table Lotte was sitting at, taking a seat and setting her book down on the table top.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” she asked, sincerely.

“Well,” began Lotte. “I wanted to thank you for helping us out yesterday, for starters. I don't even know what we'd have done if you hadn't told us everything.”

“O-Oh, that's no worry...” Linh replied. “But, thank you for doing what you did. Me and Tallulah couldn't have taken much longer with...her...”

The Finn cringed. “I don't understand why anyone would be so mean to everyone, especially the people she shared a room with!” she said, wincing. “How did you put up with it for so long?”

The other girl paused, and then sighed.

“It's...complicated.” she said at last. “Wilma was really horrible to everyone, yeah. But, even though she scared us, we always pitied her. I think that's why we just let her do the things she did.”

Lotte raised an eyebrow. “...Pitied her?”

Linh nodded. “Yeah. She had...issues. I think something was going on with her at home, if what we overheard from her was anything to go by. Whenever she talked to her parents on the crystal ball, she always sounded so _angry_.”

She  began to tap her finger on the table. “She wasn't nice, and there was no excuse for what she did, especially to your friend. But I think she had real problems that she needed help with and never got.”

“I...I see...” Lotte said, taken aback somewhat. “That's kinda sad. I mean, I still don't miss her, but that would explain a lot.”

“Mhm. I just...I just hope she'll be happier wherever she goes next.”

  
  


  
“Margaret” seethed as she felt the connection with the mind-manacle ring fade away. Diana had been released from its spell, and her control over her unbound- she had felt the moment that the ring had been slipped off her finger by that electronics-obsessed midget. And whilst seeing Akko and Sucy so utterly distraught had given her a brief rush of sadistic glee, she had a sneaking suspicion that, if they knew that Diana was under outside control, she'd be forgiven fairly quickly, which was more than a little counterproductive to her plan.

She stared towards the castle, as she skulked in the trees of the periphery. That accursed school, that feeble excuse for an educational institution, had made a terrible, terrible mistake in expelling her. If they wanted to be rid of her, they would have to try a lot harder than that- because now, she was determined to bring the whole establishment crashing down with her own two hands. If she had to, she would stalk the grounds indefinitely, wreaking havoc on Luna Nova like a vengeful phantom.

She wasn't just some delinquent after all. She was a dangerous foe to be reckoned with; a witch with all the talent of the cream of Luna Nova but none of the handicaps of restraint or morality. She would use any and all tools at her disposal to complete her mission, and oh what terrible instruments of ruin she had to unleash.

Mind-manacles were only the beginning. Bottled mandragora screams, dreamcatchers suffused with night terrors, hands of glory, black sand from a cursed hourglass, the list went on. She'd spent a long time building her collection of black magic items, perusing shady back-alley shops and secret auctions to acquire them, but she was very glad she had. She would not have wanted to have been caught in such a situation with no means to exact her revenge after all.

No, this was a minor setback at worst. Annoying, but nothing would stand in her way now. She had already decided on the next of her bag of tricks to release.

Delving into her bag, she withdrew a tiny little bronze clockwork figure, pixie-like in appearance with wrought filigree wings and inset polished glass eyes in its metallic face. A Welspite, a wartime magical automata developed by the Inter-Services Research Bureau for the British secret service, and a delightfully nasty piece of work. Ingeniously designed, meticulously built, and perfectly suited to her requirements. Indeed, the Special Operations Executive witches who used it were told to “set Europe ablaze” so one could argue she was using it for its intended purpose, at least in spirit.

She twisted the key in its back, making seven full turns, and then released her grip on the device. Immediately, the tiny construct began to stir into life, its wings fluttering and its limbs twitching as it began to hover above the ground, before “standing” to attention and giving a little salute.

“Perfect.” she hissed to herself. “Now, my little toy soldier. You see that castle over there? Bring it to ruin, and all within it.”

The Welspite nodded in acknowledgement. “As you wish, ma'am.” it croaked with a tinny, synthesized voice. “Any further details?”

The girl grinned devilishly. “Yes. These two,” she said, producing two photos, one of Akko and one of Sucy. “Focus on them first. Make them suffer.”

For a moment, the clockwork robot paused. A few seconds later, it nodded again.

“Yes, ma'am.” it intoned. “Consider it done.”

With that, the Welspite began to drift in the direction of the castle, tiny wings buzzing, on its way to unleash all manner of havoc within the school.

“Margaret” prepared to retreat deeper into the periphery forest, the better to avoid potential detection. She would return soon, but her disguise was nearly gone, and with Diana's release she would need a new identity anyway. No, best to withdraw for now.

_I told you you'd rue the day you thought you could expel a Torbenson,_ she thought to herself.  _And look where it has gotten you..._

  
  


  
  


“Sucy, are you gonna be alright?” said Akko, as she walked side by side with her through Luna Nova's corridors. “I'm so sorry about all of that, I-”

“Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong, Akko.” Sucy cut her off. “Not like you could have anticipated that...”

She sighed. “In fact, I...wanted to say thank you. I know it wasn't exactly ideal circumstances, but what you said for me back there, it meant a lot.”

“O-Oh, well...thanks. I meant what I said. I'd never leave you alone, Sucy...no matter what.”

Sucy gave the weakest of smiles. “I know you wouldn't. I just, I wish I could give more back...”

Akko shook her head. “Don't be silly, Sucy! I love you, you don't have to give me anything.” she said, feeling herself getting a little choked up.

“Akko, I-”

“No!” the Japanese girl cut her off. “Sucy, please listen to me, you don't have to prove yourself to me! I love you because you're who you are! You're my cute, clever, spooky, funny girlfriend...I wouldn't trade you for anything!”

She felt herself tearing up a little, and paused to wipe her eyes dry.

“Please, Sucy...you don't need to justify your existence. You're precious. If there's anyone you need to be nicer to, it's yourself.”

For a second, Sucy went silent, looking taken aback. Then at last, she began to softly laugh.

“Oh, Akko...” she giggled. “Doesn't it get tiring being so lovely all the time?”

Akko felt rather confused, scratching her head. “Eh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just wanted to return the favour a bit, you don't need to be so selfless all the time.” Sucy answered. “I...oh, never mind. It doesn't matter.”

“No, go on! What's wrong?”

Sucy shook her head. “Nothing's wrong. But Akko, please, let me do something for you, for once. I'll feel bad if I don't.”

She paused, briefly. “...Please, I just want to give a little love back.” she continued. “You mean so much to me...”

There was a brief silence as Akko stood dumbfounded. Then, at last, she grinned.

“God, Sucy, you're just so sweet, you know?” she said, heartwarmed. “If you really want to do something for me that much...well, I'll let you know when I think of something, hee hee!”

Sucy was about to respond when she was interrupted by the sound of feigned gagging coming from behind her. Bewildered, she spun on her heel and was confronted by the sight of Alma, Julietta and Teresa, looking quite disgusted.

“Oh, it's...you guys...” she said, trying her best to pretend she hadn't heard the retching. “What's up?”

For their part, the purple-sashed trio made no attempt to mask their open contempt. “Good grief, you two, if you're going to do...that, at least do so somewhere nobody can see you!” spat Teresa. “Your shameless behaviour is utterly unbecoming of Luna Nova!”

Sucy shook her head. “Hey now, that isn't very nice. This is a time for love and joy, after all, no need to get nasty.” she replied, attempting to remain civil.

“Pah! Rich coming from _you!_ I thought being nasty was your forte?” exclaimed Alma. “That and collecting broccoli!”

“Mushrooms, Alma, not broccoli.” Julietta corrected her.

“Whatever, they're both funny tasting vegetables with big heads.”

Sucy rolled her eyes. “Fungi aren't vegetables, I think you-”

“Shut up!” snapped Teresa. “This isn't a culinary magic lesson, it's an admonishment of your...dykery!”

Akko's eyebrow twitched. “...Dykery? Is that even a word?” she muttered, incredulous. “I thought _I_ was meant to be the dim one...”

“Well, you definitely are. Hence the reason you felt you had to settle for that deformed cyclops there.” Julietta sneered. “Not like you could get anyone better.”

The brunette clenched her fists, angrily. “What the- why are you being like this?! We haven't done anything to you!” she yelled. “Leave us alone!”

Alma put her hands on her hips. “No, I don't think we will! Not whilst the pair of you are flaunting your perversion!”

“P-Perversion?!?” spluttered Akko. “We aren't flaunting _anything,_ let alone anything like-”

“Don't lie, Akko, we saw you sneaking off into the botanical garden for some vile canoodling session!”

Julietta nodded. “Honestly, if it's carnal pleasure you're after then go and find some boy desperate enough to do...whatever it is you want done to you, if such a breed exists.” she said, viciously. “At least keep your degenerate behaviour restrained to simple lasciviousness rather than...than...”

“Than what?” interrupted Sucy, who suddenly looked _incredibly_ angry. “Us both being girls?”

The dumpy girl took a step back. “I- yes, what of it?” she said, slightly deflated. “Are you denying that the pair of you are-”

“Not at all. But I hope you're not thinking of bitching about it. Because quite aside from anything else, I'm pretty certain that picking on people for stuff like that is thoroughly against the rules.” she retorted, ever so slightly smugly. “You don't want to be reported for discrimination, do you?”

“N-No, I-”

“Oh, and for the record? If you start shit with Akko, you start shit with _me_.” Sucy continued. “And believe me, you will _thoroughly_ regret it if you do.”

“...Oh yeah?” said Alma, nervously. “What are you gonna do, throw a mushroom at us?”

Sucy cracked an evil grin, teeth gleaming wickedly.

“Maybe. Or maybe I'll do something far, far worse.” she replied. “For example, I could always tell everyone about that shop I saw you three walking out of in Blytonbury last month... Abby Springs, was it?”

The trio's faces went bone-white. “Y-You wouldn't dare!” stammered Teresa with horror. “You...wouldn't, would you?”

The lilac-haired girl cackled, softly. “Well, I might...” she said with no small amount of mischief. “Then again, I might not...but on one condition.”

“Go on, what's your price?” responded Teresa almost instantly.

Sucy folded her arms, and gently laughed- then her face went deadly serious, and she snarled, piranha-teeth fully exposed.

“That you _never_ pick on Akko _ever again._ ”

The three girls practically jumped out of their skins, before nodding furiously. “Y-Yes, of course!” Teresa exclaimed, shuddering. “We'll never bother you again...now, if you'll excuse us...”

With that, the trio turned tail and fled, dashing off down the corridor as quickly as they possibly could.

Sucy remained silent until she was absolutely positive that the bullies had vacated the area, before sighing deeply.

“Well, that certainly was something.” she gasped. “Hopefully that's the last of that nonsense we have to...Akko, are you alright?”

Akko stood mouth agape, staring in awe at what she had just beheld. “Sucy...” she said at last. “That was...wow! That was amazing!”

Sucy blinked. “W-Was it? I mean, thank you, but-”

“Of course it was! I never knew you could be so...protective!” Akko interrupted. “Honestly, Sucy, you don't give yourself enough credit for anything!”

“Hey, I just did what I thought was right. I couldn't just stand there and listen to them talk smack about you, could I?”

Akko giggled. “Well, you did great, I'm so proud of you!” she replied. “Consider the favour returned!”

Sucy felt herself blush a little. “Oh, thanks! I'm glad.” she said, apprehensively.

She didn't quite know what to say. “I'm so proud of you”...those were words she hadn't heard in a long time. The only person she'd ever heard that from was Ramza. But for anyone else- let alone Akko- to say it to her, it made her feel inordinately happy.

“Say, Akko...” she mumbled. “There was somewhere I wanted to go with you. I hope you don't mind if we go there.”

The brunette nodded. “Sure, where did you want to go?”

Sucy stared at the floor. “Just...follow me.” she replied, oddly shy.

Akko considered pressing her for details, but something about the look on her face stopped her. Wherever it was Sucy wanted to go, it was clearly hugely important to her. And she rather doubted it was the prelude to a prank, given how she'd changed.

“Well...OK then, why not?” she said at last. “Lead the way!”

  
  


  
  


Lotte looked at the clock on the wall. It was 3:35 in the afternoon now, and Amanda still hadn't turned up. Linh had exited the library a while ago now, and the Finn was on her own, with nothing but a few books for company.

She sighed with exasperation. This was getting a bit silly now; Amanda should have been here ages ago. Where _had_ she gotten to?

She flipped open _Applications of Magic in Architecture, Volume III_ in the hope of finding something to pass the time with. Maybe she could get herself lost in the finer points of supporting pillars and magical acoustics? Maybe...

No. No, this was no good at all. She'd spent ages in the library pretending to work on studies, she was bored rigid. Where on Earth was Amanda?

As if in answer to her frustrated pondering, the doors to the library were flung open, and Amanda O'Neill burst in, looking thoroughly out of breath.

Lotte shook her head. “Good lord, Amanda, what kind of time do you call this?” she chided, trying not to sound too irritated. “I thought we said after lunch?”

“Argh! I am _so_ sorry, Lotte, you would not _believe_ the day I've had!” she gasped as she practically fell into the room, grabbing her knees as she panted for breath.

“O-Oh, what happened?”

The Irish-American shook her head. “Gah, what _didn't_ happen, ya mean.” she answered. “Let's just say someone put a mind-manacle on Diana an' things nearly went very badly...”

The ginger witch clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. “A mind-manacle? Here?!” she shuddered. “Oh no, that's awful! Did you get it off of her?”

“Yeah, just about, before things really went down South.” Amanda said, folding her arms. “Though things weren't exactly goin' great, apparently Diana tried to kiss Akko, an' there was a scuffle between her 'n' Elizabeth...Oh god, it was a mess.”

“Egads, not good then...”

“Nope, not good at all. It, uh, really could've gone better.” she sighed. “Could've gone worse mind, she's better now I think...”

Shaking her head again, she strode over to the table, pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lotte.

“Anyway, enough of that, what did ya wanna talk about?” she said, almost flippantly.

Lotte smiled. “Mostly ideas for the Winter Ball, honestly. It's not very far off now, is it?”

Amanda nodded. “Nope, it's next Wednesday isn't it?” she replied.

“That was it!” said Lotte. “We haven't got much time to prepare at all. Which is why I wanted to talk to you about some ideas I had.”

“Oh? What sorta ideas?”

The Finn reached into her pocket and withdrew a parchment scroll, which she proceeded to unravel. “Well, I've been having a few thoughts, just silly flights of fancy really. But I reckon they might make this year really special.”

Smiling, Amanda began to read the scroll, taking note of the various ideas written upon it. “Hmmm, this seems pretty neat. I'm diggin' the lucky dip idea, that could be fun.” she said, intrigued. “An' what's this? A song?”

“A-Ah, yes, you'll have to pardon me, I got a bit carried away there!” Lotte laughed, slightly embarrassed. “I thought it would be nice for the dance, putting a little personal touch on it. But, maybe that's me getting out of line, heh heh.”

Amanda shook her head. “Nuh-uh, this looks pretty good! I mean, I'd dance to it!”

Lotte blushed. “R-Really? That's very kind of you, I was worried it was a bit...sappy?”

“Nah, I love it! 'course, I'd need someone to dance with, but that's another story...”

The bespectacled witch clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, well thank you, Amanda! I need to finish the lyrics, but if I can sort that out then maybe we can-”  
  
“Hold that thought...” cut in Amanda, who suddenly looked rather worried. “What's _that?_ ”

She pointed out the window- Lotte followed her finger, and saw the source of her confusion. Drifting outside was a minuscule bronze figure, about the size of a doll, buzzing back and forth erratically. There was something oddly menacing about the way it moved, giving it an air of threat in spite of its size.

Then, it turned to face the two girls, glass eyes gleaming, before flitting away.

“I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be here...” said Lotte. “I think we'd better tell someone about that!”

Amanda nodded, rising from her chair. “Man, today just keeps getting weirder...” she sighed.

  
  


  
“No, it's no good Anne, you're just better at these games than I am.” muttered Lukic, as she observed the humiliating checkmate she'd been forced into. “I'll never wrap my head around Charmed Chess, I'm just no good at this strategy malarkey.”

Anne Finnelan chuckled. “I was going to say “you'll get there” but given we've been trying this since you were my teacher, I must concede the odds of that happening are a bit...bleak.” she said, somewhat mirthfully.

Lukic grinned. “To be fair, you were always a prodigy at board games, a shame the Global Occult Boardgames Battler's Organization didn't exist whilst you were a student. You could have represented us!”

“Now now, let's be honest, with my record for behaviour I wouldn't have been _considered_ for representing Luna Nova in the G.O.B.B.O tournaments!”

“Oh come now, you weren't _that_ bad.” sniggered Lukic. “At least...only slightly worse than Miss O'Neill. Besides, your escapades were always entertaining, hee hee!”

Anne sighed. “Well, I'm glad you found my exploits amusing. I've always been rather ashamed of them.” She paused, as she began to reset the pieces on the Charmed Chess board. “I'm sometimes amazed I even graduated this school, let alone was accepted as a teacher.”

The older witch grinned, knowingly. “Well I for one am very glad you did.” she said, her tone gentle. “Because you grew into a very respectable witch, and a rather excellent teacher.”

Mrs. Finnelan shook her head. “Did I really, though?” she replied, somewhat mournfully. “I...I don't know anymore.”

“Oh? What on Earth makes you say that?”

The younger professor stared at the floor. “I've...been thinking, recently. I sometimes wonder if the restoration of magic, courtesy of the Nine New Witches...if it was in spite of my input rather than because of it.”

She continued. “The way I behaved towards Miss Kagari was...well, it was unforgivable really. I see that now. She was trying her best, even with her disability, and I gave her nothing but scorn. I hope she has it in her heart to forgive me.”

Lukic put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled softly.

“Don't worry about it, Anne. We're all guilty of misjudging Akko. None of us knew what had happened to her, you certainly aren't alone in that.” she said. “And I don't think she's the type to hold a grudge over something like that. She's got a big heart, even if her head is a little empty.”

“I...I certainly hope so.”

There was a knock on the door, breaking the brief silence that had descended on the room. “Who's there?” called out Anne, politely.

“It's me and Amanda!” came Lotte's voice in response. “Can we come in? We wanted to report something!”

“Of course, please do come in!”

The door swung open and the duo entered the office, looking uncharacteristically worried.

“Sorry to intrude, but uh, we spotted somethin' we thought you should know about.” said Amanda. “We were in the library, and uh...”

“...We saw this odd looking bronze fairy thing outside the window.” Lotte finished for her. “It was flying about, and it looked at us before buzzing off.”

Lukic raised an eyebrow. “Oh my, a bronze fairy? That sounds oddly familiar to me, but I can't quite put my finger on it.” she replied. “Do you have any idea what that might be, Anne?”

Mrs. Finnelan folded her arms. “I have a hunch, but I'd need to confirm it with Nelson. It's obviously some kind of golem or magical automaton, but it doesn't sound like one of Constanze's creations.”

Amanda shook her head. “It was nothin' like anything Consey makes, it was downright creepy lookin'. Was wearing a little soldier helmet too, for what it's worth.”

“First a mind-manacle, and now an unidentified magical construct...” sighed Finnelan. “This is going to be one of those days, isn't it?”

Lukic pulled a particularly silly grin. “With the timing and all it make you wonder if we have a Grinch on our hands, doesn't it?”

Anne rolled her eyes. “For goodness' sake, Lukic, this is serious!” she snapped.

“Alright, alright, I was only trying to make a joke...”

Lotte stroked her chin. “Say, Mrs. Finnelan, what was it you thought it might be?” she asked. “Maybe we could look it up and see if the description matches.”

“That's a rather good idea, miss Jansson.” the professor replied. “It sounds like it could be a Welspite, a kind of military sabotage device from the 1940s, but I have no idea what one of those would be doing around here. I thought they were all in museums.”

“I have heard stories of old wartime magitech making its way onto the private market.” said Lukic. “And I'm not sure it's legal to deactivate them given they're spirit-powered, so an illicitly acquired one could still be functional.”

“That's true. In any event, let's try and find Nelson, and see if we can get some better information on this.”

  
  


  
  


“A Welspite!?” spluttered Nelson in disbelief. “Here? Good grief, I hope not!”

Mrs. Finnelan shrugged. “Well, it's only a hunch, but it was the only thing I could think of that matched the description.”

The broom instructor nodded, slowly. “It certainly sounds like it. Bronze, about the size of a doll, filigree wings, wearing a helmet, that matches the description of a Welspite alright.” she said. “It's either that or a similar-looking hobbyist's magitronic drone, and I doubt any students here would be able to afford anything like that.”

“Although,” said Lukic. “I wonder how anyone would afford a Welspite, they can't have been cheap, can they?”

“Well, they were made in larger numbers than you might think. Lots were used for security, it's possible that one was sold as military surplus for cheap.”

“I don't remember anyone here having anything like that.” piped up Lotte. “I would have thought that would have been something to brag about too, I can't see anyone keeping that under wraps.”

Amanda shuddered. “Unless they wanted to use it for less than savoury purposes...”

Nelson sighed. “I'll be on my lookout for anything matching that description anyway, but-”

“ _Gaaaaaaah!_ ” came a high-pitched scream. “Get this thing away from me!”

Nelson wheeled around in the direction of the cry. One of the goblin groundskeepers was running as fast as his tiny legs would take him from a tiny flying figure, seemingly made from bronze, that was chasing after him, clicking angrily.

“Oh crikey, this isn't good!” exclaimed Nelson. “Greg, calm down, I'm coming!”

She broke into a run and dashed towards the distressed goblin, surprisingly nimble for her age. Then, she threw herself between Greg and the mechanical menace, before grabbing hold of the tiny automaton.

“Right, you little ratchet-jointed rascal!” she snapped. “Code Foxtrot-Alfa-India-Romeo-Yankee! Cease all hostile activities and report orders!”

For a moment, the machine buzzed furiously, attempting to wriggle free- then it went completely still.

“...Flying Officer Nelson, RAF Fighter Command, Magical Division, recognized.” it croaked. “Ceasing combat operations, ma'am.”

Nelson shook her head, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright. What were your orders?”

“Directive: Destroy this building and terminate all individuals within, preferably through clandestine methods.”

The old pilot nearly dropped the thing out of shock.

“I...I see.” she gasped. “Do you have any further orders?”

The Welspite nodded. “Affirmative. Especial priority given to termination of one Atsuko Kagari and Sucy Manbavaran.” it responded. “No further information.”

“What the- that thing was going to try and kill Akko and Suce!?” exclaimed Amanda with horror.

“That's awful!” said Lotte. “Who on Earth would do something like that?”

Nelson nodded. “Agreed, but please, I need to ask it one more thing.” she said. “Do you remember who sent you your orders?”

The machine paused, its gears whirring.

“Negative.” it responded at last. “Director did not give identification.”

The broom instructor sighed. “I see...Thank you anyway. Now, time for you to go to sleep.”

The Welspite nodded. “As you wish. Shutting down.” it rasped. There was a brief grating of cogs and clicking of pulleys, before the thing went limp in Nelson's hands.

Shaking her head again, she gently placed the device on the ground, before turning to the group.

“You were right.” she said, gravely. “That was a Welspite. Genuine Mark III sabotage model, SOE issue. Nasty piece of work. How it got here...”

“I think I might have an idea of that.” said Lukic. “I can only think of one individual who would have such a chip on her shoulder towards our establishment, not to mention Akko and Sucy in particular, that they'd go this far.”

Lotte gasped. “You...you don't mean...”

“Wilma?” groaned Amanda. “Oh jeez, there was me thinkin' we'd seen the last of her...”

Greg the goblin shook his head. “If you don't mind me saying, I think we might be best getting a Beholder in. Whoever it is, they're clearly pretty dangerous if they've got access to something like that.”

“I'd be inclined to agree.” said Finnelan. “If Wilma is at large, and she is the one behind this, it is vital she is apprehended before something even worse happens.”

Lukic nodded. “I'll third that suggestion. I'll have to take it to Principal Holbrooke, though, she's the only one with the authority to summon Beholders.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Lotte.

“No, it's best that you two stay as far out of this as possible. We don't want you getting mixed up in any danger, and if it _is_ Wilma you'll already be potential targets. Leave it to us.”

“Yeah, don't worry, we'll get a handle on this.” said Nelson. “I'll escort you back into the school, and you two can get back to...whatever it was you were doing.”

  
  


“Gee, this is kind of a long walk, Sucy!” whined Akko. “Where are we going?”

The girls had been trudging for quite a while now, and had left the school grounds far behind. Akko had assumed Sucy was wanting to go back into Blytonbury or something when they had left, but this route didn't seem to be taking them anywhere.

“You'll see.” Sucy replied, quietly. “Just persevere, it's not very much longer.”

Akko wasn't sure quite what to expect. On the one hand, maybe Sucy was going to show her some patch of unusual mushrooms she's spotted growing somewhere, perhaps out of a desire to share her hobby. Which, whilst fair enough, would be rather an anticlimax. But something in Akko's heart told her this wasn't going to be a foraging session; Sucy was never timid about her love of fungus, and she almost seemed a little bit shy about wherever this destination was going to be.

“Phew, it's a bit nippy now, isn't it?” she said. “I think the sun will be going soon, are we nearly there yet?”

“We're here.”

The Japanese girl came to a stop, and looked around. She wasn't quite sure where they were- it just seemed to be another bit of countryside, frost-covered and dimly lit by the fast setting sun. The only distinguishing feature was the frozen-over river and the stone bridge over it. It was pretty, but...

“Uh...OK? Where are we?” said Akko, puzzled.

Sucy turned towards her, a faint smile on her face. “Come on, Akko, surely your memory isn't _that_ awful, is it?” she said, mischievously but with a very slight hint of melancholy. “I mean, most people would remember falling into a river.”

Akko cocked her head in bewilderment. “Hey, are you saying I-”

Then, suddenly, it hit her.

“Oh...” she breathed. “This...This is where we first met...”

Sucy nodded. “Yep. I...I think about this place a lot...” she said, very softly. “I think about what I'd have done differently if I'd known better...”

She sighed, and stared at the ground, guiltily.

“I'm sorry, this was a silly idea. I just, this place, it means a lot to me.” she whispered.

“Hey, it's alright.” replied Akko. “I...I know, it's OK. That was...one of your most precious memories, wasn't it? Meeting me, that is.”

The Filipino girl nodded again. “Y-Yeah...I don't have a whole lot of good memories, but meeting you here, that was...that was a treasure.”

Akko smiled, and stepped forward to hug her. “God, Sucy, you're such a sweetheart.” she cooed. “I'm sorry I was such a dumbass for so long...”

Sucy hugged her back. “No...I'm sorry I was such a sourpuss. It's just...”

She trailed off, and just held onto Akko tighter, burying her face in her shoulder.

“What's wrong, Sucy?” said Akko, gently. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah...I'm sorry.” she said at last. “I need to explain myself...”

She carefully unwrapped herself from Akko's arms and took a step back.

“When I first met you, I...I shouldn't have done what I did.” she said, sadly. “It's just that, well...I'm so scared of people, Akko. People, they frighten me. I couldn't believe someone was actually happy to meet me. I wanted to push you away, so neither of us could hurt each other.”

She shook her head. “But still, you wouldn't leave me alone. You still didn't run away from me, or hate me or spit on me. So when we landed in the Arcturus Forest, I thought I could just make you and the nagging feelings in my head go away by...well, we both remember how that turned out.”

Akko's expression was a mixture of horror and pity. “Sucy...” she shuddered. “What happened to you?”

The girl turned slightly away.

“...Someone hurt me, Akko.” she mumbled. “I told myself I wouldn't trust anyone who told me they were my friend again. Because after what happened then...I...”

She began to choke up, tears roling down her cheeks.

“But...you were different...” she said, fighting the tears back. “You wanted to be my friend. You didn't think I was some kind of freak, and...you never tried to hurt me. I thought I'd never meet anyone again who would make me feel safe around them, but...you proved me wrong...”

Akko felt herself beginning to cry a little. “Sucy...you poor thing...” she murmured. “I wish I'd known...I would have-”

“No, it isn't your fault...” Sucy cut her off. “I should have been honest with you and myself. If I weren't this stupid, screwed-up nutcase, I-”

“Please, Sucy, stop talking about yourself like that!” Akko yelled. “You're a beautiful, lovely girl, and I love you! Just please...stop hating yourself!”

She rushed forward and hugged Sucy again, holding her tightly against herself. “Please, be nicer to yourself...do it for me...” she gasped. “It's OK. I'm here for you...and I always will be.”

For a moment, Sucy was silent. Then, she leant in and returned the embrace.

“Akko...you're a miracle...” she said, weakly. “I love you, so so much.”

“I love you too.” replied Akko. “Just please, let me love you. And love yourself a little. You don't have to be scared anymore...”

For a good few minutes, the two girls stood on the bridge, entangled in each other's arms. Then at last, Sucy spoke again.

“One day...One day I'll tell you what happened.” she sighed. “One day, but...not today. I'm just not ready yet.”

Akko shook her head. “It's alright, Sucy, you don't have to tell me anything if you're not comfortable with it.” she said. “I only want you to be happy...take your time, there's no rush. Alright?”

“...Alright.”

The sun was fast setting, and the temperature was dropping. But on that bridge, in Akko's arms, Sucy felt a lot warmer than she had in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So between university preparation and other crap that I won't bore you with it's safe to say this is now incredibly behind schedule. However, I'm absolutely committed to getting this finished, and have zero intention of abandoning it. Granted it'll probably be finished after this upcoming Christmas, but hey, better late than never, right? ...Right?
> 
> Also my apologies if it's still a bit angsty, I was going to write it a bit more light-hearted but it came out a bit too...forced. Trust me though, for real this time, it's going to be on an upward climb. Also my apologies for nerding out hardcore about WW2 magitech nonsense. I can't help myself.


	5. Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Diana gets brainwashed, and now an attack by a very small robot? Time to call in the heavies! And by the heavies, we mean a rather overly polite floating multi-eyed head. Also, Sucy meets an old friend...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Whilst incredibly tame, this chapter does include some very mild references to nudity- nothing even remotely explicit, I hasten to add, but worth mentioning.

“...So yes, anyway, that's what we've had to deal with so far.” said Nelson, exasperatedly, as she gave her report to Principal Holbrooke. “A mind-manacle and a Welspite, both occurring in relatively quick succession. Safe to say, we're all rather concerned.”

Holbrooke nodded, pensively. “Hmmm...This is not good at all. You're absolutely right to be concerned, this is a frightful situation indeed.” she said. “Anyone who not only has the resources to bring such things to bear, but the desire to do so, is most certainly a dangerous individual.”

“We have a hunch who it might be, but we're not entirely certain, and we don't want to jump to conclusions.” added Finnelan.

“Oh? Who do you think is the culprit?”

Anne sighed. “We...suspect the former student Wilma Torbenson may be responsible.” she responded. “The particular details of this case lead us to believe that anyway. Particularly the targeting of Atsuko and Sucy, given...recent events.”

The principal crossed her arms, and shook her head. “That would make a lot of sense. Though I wonder how she managed to get back onto the school grounds so quickly given she was only escorted off the premises yesterday.”

“That thought had occurred to us, likewise.” said Lukic. “Though anyone with as many resources as she evidently has, assuming it is her, would probably be able to find their way back in. Luna Nova is quite ancient after all, it wouldn't surprise me if there were exploitable secret entrances.”

Nelson began to stroke her chin. “If it is her, this seems like a dreadful overreaction. I can understand harbouring ill will towards us following her expulsion, but this? Seems like she's a few twigs short of a broom to me.”

Holbrooke stared at her desk, sadly.

“Wilma was...always a rather unfortunate case.” she answered. “She was from a wealthy family, but an unhappy one. She had quite severe emotional issues, mostly manifesting in extreme vindictiveness. I seem to recall we made efforts to try and help her, but she actively resisted all attempts at counselling.”

Nodding, Anne piped up again. “Indeed. I made many attempts to try and help her talk about her difficulties, but I could never quite get through to her. It didn't matter what I did; friendly approaches were just rejected, and more heavy-handed attempts to change her ways seemed to be viewed as challenges. I'm not sure if she was too proud to accept help or if she genuinely believed she didn't need it, but she was completely impossible to get through to.”

“That much is definitely true.” Lukic said, gravely. “There was something very wrong with that girl. I remember in a lecture on avoiding demons whilst summoning spirits I was giving, I was showing some examples of rituals gone wrong. Even my most ghoulish students were frightened out of their minds...but not her. She looked almost bored.”

“Good grief, really?” said Nelson. “If those were what I'm thinking they were, she must have been sick in the head...”

Lukic shook her head. “I doubt it's that simple. I could just about stomach that lesson, but then I'm an old woman, and I've seen a lot of awful things in my time. For Wilma to be so unmoved...”

She trailed off, sighing.

“I'm not making excuses for her behaviour of course. But I'm just saying it's best not to judge so quickly.”

“Regardless of why she did what she did, we need to make sure she doesn't do it again.” said Anne. “Principal, we were going to suggest the summoning of a Beholder. We need her off the premises as soon as possible.”

The principal nodded once more. “I think that might be the best course of action too. I'll prepare for the summoning immediately.” she said, solemnly. “Lukic, I'll need your help for that, if you don't mind?”

“Understood.” she replied. “I'll get the portal ready.”

Though she didn't want to say anything for fear of causing friction, Lukic couldn't help but feel some pity for Wilma. Whatever had driven her to this point, it couldn't have been pleasant. The old teacher had seen her fair share of horror in her long life, and she'd freely admit to having become a little desensitized, but there were some things that still made her very uncomfortable- and the knowledge that someone of only 16 could have reached such a level of callousness was one of them.

She only hoped that she'd find help someday.

  
  


  
  


  
  


Akko and Sucy tramped back down the road towards Luna Nova, holding hands. The light was starting to go, and they needed to be back soon before it went completely dark. Quite aside from getting lost and cold, they really didn't fancy being scolded for going missing when they did return.

“It's pretty frosty, huh?” said Akko, teeth starting to chatter a bit. “I can't wait to get back so we can get nice and warm!”

Sucy nodded. “Yeah, it's a bit on the nippy side.” she replied. “I mean, when you come from somewhere as hot as the Philippines, even the summer here seems cool, but this is something else.”

“Right. Japan gets pretty hot too, but it also gets cold. Especially in the North.”

Akko paused, as a thought came to her. “Actually, you haven't told me much about the Philippines, what are they like?”

To her dismay, Sucy suddenly looked a little uncomfortable.

“It's not...a great place.” she sighed. “I'm told the little rural islands are beautiful, but you only get tribes living there. But where I'm from wasn't a nice place at all.”

She stared at the ground. “Ramza's orphanage was in the outskirts of Manila. You had to be quite rich to have a nice place there, and we only just had enough money to get by. There was a lot of crime, and it didn't smell good.”

“Ah...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.”

Sucy shook her head. “No, Akko, it's fine, it's a fair question. I don't talk a lot about my home after all, it's fair enough you'd be curious.”

Smiling, she continued. “Besides, it wasn't all bad. There were some nice people there, like Marito. He owned a little sweet shop, he was always kind to me. I think he'd been one of Ramza's when he was young.” she said, a little more happily. “And in any case, it could've been worse. It wasn't Tondo.”

“I see! One day, we'll have to go there.” replied Akko. “I wanna see it for myself!”

“Well, if you say so. I'm not so sure you really do, but...but...”

She trailed off, looking absolutely awe-struck all of a sudden.

Akko cocked her head slightly, puzzled. “Is, uh, everything alright?” she queried.

“ _Is...Is that you?_ ” Sucy gasped, staring intently at a blue-haired figure standing not too far off in the distance. “I'm sorry, Akko, could you give me a second?”

The Japanese girl nodded. “Sure!”

Sucy began to walk off ahead of Akko, striding towards the figure. She wasn't entirely sure it was who she thought it was, but she needed to find out.

Eventually she managed to catch up with them, until she was in (she hoped) hearing distance of the girl. Nervously, she cleared her throat, hoping she wasn't making a mistake.

“E-Excuse me,” she said, trembling. “Are you-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the blue-haired girl turned to face her, looking slightly bewildered- and Sucy immediately knew she had the right person. The mischievous brown eyes, the tanned skin, the short, messy shock of indigo hair... It was Lailani, clear as day.

To her relief, Lailani beamed, as she recognized who had approached her.

“Sucy!” she exclaimed, joyously. “Oh my god, it's been so long! How are you?”

The pale girl smiled back. “I'm doing alright, thanks!” she replied. “I wasn't doing so great recently, but...well, I have someone I want you to meet.”

She beckoned Akko forward, who nodded and began to approach them.

“This,” Sucy began, filled with excitement. “Is Akko. I can't even begin to tell you how much she's done for me. If it weren't for her I don't know what I'd do...”

Lailani grinned, meeting Akko's gaze. “Hey, nice to meet you, Akko!” she said, offering a handshake.

Akko accepted, shaking Lailani's hand. “Nice to meet you too! Sucy's told me about you, it's great to see you for real!”

“Aww, thanks!” laughed Lailani. “I think I saw you on the TV! I'm assuming you're a Luna Nova student too judging by the uniform?”

“Yeah,” said Sucy. “She's my room-mate...and, uh...”

She trailed off, slightly embarrassed.

Lailani looked confused. “What's wrong, Su?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing...It's just, well...I don't know how to say it...but...”

“Hey, Sucy, no need to be shy!” butted in Akko. “Do you need me to tell her?”

Sucy just nodded, weakly.

Akko smiled, and put an arm around Sucy. “Well, you see Lailani,” she said, confidently as ever. “I'm her girlfriend!”

Lailani looked even more confused for a second- then the grin returned to her face, and she giggled.

“I see! Oh, that's so sweet!” she chuckled. “Awww, Sucy, I'm so happy for you!”

Sucy blushed. “T-Thanks, Lailani...I was worried how you'd react, I didn't-”

“Oh don't worry, Su, it's cool. I'm just pleased you've found someone, hee hee!” she cut her off.

She turned to Akko, looking slightly more serious. “But you'd better treat her well! Sucy needs careful handling, I won't forgive you if you hurt her!”

Akko took a step back. “N-No, of course! Trust me, I know all about that...” she said, slightly alarmed.

“Oh, yeah...that reminds me...” sighed Lailani, suddenly looking a lot less happy. “I suppose you heard about, well, Ramza...”

Sucy nodded, expression downcast. “Yeah, I...I did. I still can't believe she's really gone.” she said, quietly. “There was so much I still wanted to say to her...”

Her childhood friend shook her head. “It was a real shock. She seemed just the same as always, but then one morning, she just...didn't get up.” she said, mournfully. “I'm gonna miss her...”

“Me too...I'm just glad Akko was here for me. She's been such a blessing.”

Akko beamed. “Heh, I do my best.” she said, blushing slightly. “But thanks, Sucy, that's really sweet of you!”

“Well, it's the truth.” said Sucy. “If it weren't for you, Akko, I'd be lost.”

Lailani pulled a broad smile. “Well, good job she found you, then!” she chuckled. “Akko, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to you for being there for her. She's like a sister to me, and I'd been worrying so much about her.”

“O-Oh, well, thanks!” replied Akko, taken aback. “I was...I was just doing what I thought was right.”

“Actually,” interjected Sucy. “What brought you here? This seems like a really big coincidence to be seeing you now of all times.”

The girl stroked her chin. “I'd been planning to visit for a while, see if I could meet up with you,” she said. “And then I finally managed to get something arranged with help from a friend of Benjie's, and...well, then _that_ happened.”

She breathed out, deeply. “Fortunately I was still able to come over here, but yeah, it did make for interesting timing. Sorry I never got in touch with you before now though, the whole “saving the world” thing kinda blew up just as I had that arranged, and I figured with you being a celebrity you'd be hard to get to.”

Sucy blinked. “...Celebrity?” she said, confused. “Are you sure? I mean, Akko I can understand, but-”

“Nah, you're kind of a big deal now!” interrupted Lailani. “Well, you all are, but back home everyone's talking about you! How the little girl from the orphanage grew up to help save the world! “The pride of the Philippines” they're calling you!”

“I...Really?” gasped Sucy. “I- Wow, I wasn't expecting that!”

Akko cracked a cheesy grin. “Awww, look at you, Sucy!” she laughed. “You're moving up in the world! Don't leave us all behind now!”

“As if I would, Akko. I wouldn't even be here without you.”

Sucy turned back to Lailani. “Oh, yes, that reminds me,” she said. “I don't know how, but I found your Little Nelly doll in a local charity shop. Did, uh, you want me to return it to you?”

Lailani shook her head. “No, no, it's OK. I donated it so that someone else might get some joy from it.” she answered. “And if that someone is you, all the better.”

The lilac-haired girl smiled. “Thanks...I'll be sure to look after her.” she said, wistfully.

She sighed, looking towards the sun, which was barely poking above the horizon now. “Actually, I hate to cut it short but we'd better be going. It's kinda late for us, we need to be getting back.” she said. “But, it was great to see you again, Lailani...”

“Of course, no worries!” Lailani replied. “I better be going too, honestly. But yeah, I'll catch you later, alright? I'll be here for another week!”

“Maybe you could come visit us in Luna Nova?” suggested Akko. “We could show you around, introduce you to everyone!”

The girl beamed. “Oh, that would be wonderful! Yeah, let's try and do that!”

“Yeah, let's.” said Sucy. “But yeah...I'm so glad I got to see you again.”

“Me too, Su, me too.” replied her old friend. “Well, I'll seeya later...Oh, and merry Christmas!”

The couple nodded, smiling. “Merry Christmas to you too!” said Akko.

Lailani shot them one last grin, before running off in the other direction. As she ran out of sight, Sucy put her arm around Akko, and held her tightly.

“Heh, looks like _someone's_ caught the cuddle bug!” giggled Akko, playfully.

Sucy let out a little titter. “Well, it's cold out here and you're soft and warm.” she replied. “Can you blame me?”

“Not at all! Just nice to see you opening up a bit!”

The Japanese girl sighed. “Lailani's absolutely lovely, by the way, I'm so glad I got to meet her.” she said. “I hope she can come to see Luna Nova!”

“Oh yeah, Lailani's just the best.” Sucy responded. “Well, and Benjie too, but he wasn't here, obviously.”

Akko nodded. “What's Benjie like, by the way?” she asked.

Sucy stroked her chin, pensively. “ He was my other best friend in the orphanage. A bit less hyper than her, more level-headed. If Lailani was you, he'd be Lotte.”

“Right, that makes sense! Maybe I'll meet him too some day?”

The Filipino girl's smile broadened. “I'm sure you will. But first I want to meet some of your friends and family back in Japan.”

“Awww, of course you will!” Akko laughed. “Remember, you're coming home with me for Christmas!”

“Y-Yeah!” replied Sucy, blushing.

Somehow she couldn't quite believe that she was really going home with Akko. It seemed almost too good to be true, like at any moment the whole thing was going to be called off or be revealed as a cruel prank.

And yet, even with her natural pessimism, she felt unbelievably excited. The idea of spending Christmas with the one she loved, with nice people in a warm house,  was the sort of thing she'd only dreamed about until now. If it weren't such a massive cliché, she'd have said it was a Christmas miracle.

Ye s, she thought, this was going to be a good end to the year. She just hoped Akko was looking forward to it as much as she was.

  
  


  
  


“Right, Lukic, are you sure you've got the right sigils prepared?” asked the principal, as she dusted off an old pewter summoning wand. “We don't want to end up opening a portal to the underworld after all.”

Lukic rolled her eyes. “As if I'd make a mistake that drastic, Holbrooke.” she muttered. “Worst case scenario we summon a beekeeper's glove instead.”

Holbrooke's gaze narrowed. “...A beekeeper's glove? I don't see how that could happen. Do the outer planes even have bees?”

“It was a joke, silly. Because we're summoning a Beholder?...Bee-holder?”

There was an awkward silence as the principal's face practically imploded in on itself from cringing at Lukic's dreadful pun.

“Don't give up the day job for a stand-up routine, will you?” she groaned.

The taller of the two professors shook her head. “I don't think there's any danger of that. I can't imagine the crowds flocking to see an old bag like me making wisecracks. But anyway, we'd best be summoning that Beholder, or we might miss our chance.”

Miranda gave a curt nod as she unravelled a scroll. “Indeed. Better stand back, I'm about to begin.”

As Lukic shuffled out of the way, behind a protective blast screen, the tiny principal began to recite words from the scroll as she traced patterns in the air with the wand.

“Shuul-Gazoth Ma-Ma-Ka'tuul Ebmarah Toh'staahstruu-del Klob!” she chanted, as the geometric sigils chalked on the floor began to glow an eerie red. “Sping-Katah Zilly-Zilly Kaputski Nono!”

Lukic had to admit, Miranda's pronunciation of Beholdertongue was impeccable. The language was incredibly complicated and inconsistent, and even trying to complete one sentence of the summoning spell without making a mistake or just laughing was difficult. It was no wonder even Beholders didn't use it much anymore.

“Zardoz-Beechlasagna Umami-Tote-Bag Zorbeez!” she proclaimed as the tang of ozone filled the air. “Jyk-Athoklos Dingbadoo...Spam!”

For a moment, there was silence. Then, with a deafening crack and a whoosh of hot air, the very fabric of reality was rent asunder, and the room was filled with blinding red light.

Then it settled, and floating before the two elder witches was the creature they had been trying to summon- a Beholder.

The creature resembled nothing so much as a large, floating head, covered in rough, bumpy scales of various hues of scarlet. Its wide, grinning mouth was filled with semi-translucent, pointed teeth, and in the centre of its face was a single great eye, orange and glowing like a furnace. Atop its crown were six writhing tentacles, each tipped with a smaller eyeball.

For a moment, the creature was silent, simply floating in place. Then, at last, it spoke.

“ **Oh, hello there!** ” it said, with a voice that even with the resounding booming sounded more like James May than an otherworldly entity from beyond the third dimension. “ **Ach-Xothu at your service.** **Can I help at all?** ”

Holbrooke steeled herself as she prepared to make her request to the being- whilst it certainly seemed friendly, it paid to be respectful with these sorts of creatures, and it had to be said it was rather unnerving to look at.

“Great Beholder,” she began, politely. “We are in need of your powers of investigation, to track down one who would do us harm.”

The creature's great scaly brow furrowed. “ **Ah, detective work. I figured as much, that's what we're usually summoned here for.** ” it sighed. “ **Not that I'm complaining. Certainly beats buggering about doing nothing in the outer planes all day.** ”

“Well, indeed.” said Lukic, calmly. “This school has hired your kind before, I believe. In fact, I-”

“ **Oh, is that you, Lukic?** ” exclaimed Ach-Xothu. “ **I think I remember you from last time! The incubus incident, right?** ”

Lukic winced. “Yes.  _ The incubus incident. _ I'd mercifully forgotten about it.” she grumbled. “But if we can get to the point, that would be wonderful.”

“Quite.” said Holbrooke. “An ex-student has been performing acts of sabotage against this school, and placing both students and staff in danger. We have a suspicion the culprit is one Wilma Torbenson, but we need you to try and find them before they do anything else.”

“ **Sounds simple enough.** ” the creature replied. “ **Any leads?** ”

“Well, we have these.” said Holbrooke as she produced the mind-manacle and a memory stone from inside the Welspite from earlier that day. “Will these suffice?”

The Beholder drifted closer, and extended an eyestalk towards Holbrooke's outstretched hand, appraising the items. For a second, its gaze darted back and forth  between the objects- then the tentacle retracted.

“ **Right. I think I know what I'm looking for.** ” it said, matter-of-factly. “ **It'll be tricky, but I think I can do it.** ”

Lukic clapped her hands together. “Excellent. We'll need you to get to work fairly immediately, if you don't mind.” she replied. “The longer our culprit is free to roam about the school grounds, the greater the chance of further catastrophe.”

Ach-Xothu tilted slightly forward in the air, presumably attempting to nod. “ **Oh yes, I'd better get busy hadn't I? Don't want her blowing the school up after all.** ” it chuckled.

Neither Lukic nor Holbrooke seemed to see the funny side, looking distinctly unimpressed.

“ **...Oh. I see. She actually** _ **might**_ **blow up the school.** ” it said. “ **Oh, cock. That's not good. I suppose I'd better get on with it then.** ”

Holbrooke sighed. “Yes, I think you better had.”

  
  


  
  


Akko and Sucy sauntered back in through the front gates of Luna Nova, shivering a little from the cold but otherwise happy. The sun was almost completely gone by now, but it was of scant consequence at this point given they were basically home and dry.

“I dunno about you, but I'm looking forwards to a nice early bedtime!” said Akko. “I'm exhausted!”

Sucy smirked a little. “Boy, there's no wearing _you_ out, huh?” she chortled, playfully. “But yeah, I could fancy that too. Maybe a hot bath first, though.”

Now it was Akko's turn to smirk. “Oh yeah? I think I could get behind that, heh heh!”

To her surprise, Sucy's face went bright red.

“A-Akko, I don't know about that...” she mumbled. “I mean, I- I don't know if I'm ready for you to...well, see me...like that...”

“...Oh. Sorry...” the chestnut-haired girl sighed. “Back in Japan, sharing a bath is quite common. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Sucy shook her head. “No, it's fine. It's not your fault. I-I mean, if you really want to, we...we could...”

“Eh? Are you sure? We don't have to if you don't want to!”

Sucy looked away briefly. Then her gaze met Akko's again, and she gave a very slight, yet utterly sincere smile.

“I'm sure. Because it's you...and because I love you.” she answered, softly.

There was a brief silence as Akko stood dumbfounded. Then, she spoke at last.

“Well...as long as you aren't just saying that to make me happy...” she said. “Then I think we should.”

Sucy was about to respond when something caught her eye. She squinted, looking rather bewildered.

“What's wrong, Sucy?” said Akko, puzzled by her girlfriend's apparent discomfort.

She scratched her head, and pointed past Akko. “...What's _that?_ ” she replied.

Akko spun on the spot, and nearly had a heart attack when she saw what Sucy had seen. Drifting through the darkness was what looked like a cluster of seven orange lights, six smaller ones surrounding one larger one. They glowed like embers in the dark, floating lackadaisically across the school grounds. What were they? They almost resembled Will o' the Wisps, but neither of the girls had ever seen those in that colour...

Then the lights began to come nearer.

Akko froze with fear, rooted in place as the entities approached her. She wanted to run away, to flee in terror, but for reasons unclear she couldn't even move her legs- she just stood there, watching as the lights drew ever nearer.

Except...they weren't lights at all. They were eyes! Six smaller ones and one massive one, gazing in her direction, burning like coals!

“S...S...Sucy...” she stammered, trembling. “...I think we made a mistake...”

It was then that the creature came into full view; a massive, levitating cranium, with a fang-filled mouth and crowned with six twitching eye-stalks. It was like something out of Akko's darkest nightmares- never before had she seen something so utterly _alien_.

She was about to scream, when Sucy stepped past her and _waved_ at the entity.

“Oh, hey Ach-Xothu.” she said, incredibly casually. “How's it going?”

To Akko's utter bafflement, the creature smiled at her. “ **Ah, Sucy, it's been a while, hasn't it?** ” it replied, its voice reverberating through Akko's very being in spite of the decidedly friendly tone it used. “ **Not so bad, certainly better than the incubus incident.** ”

“W-Wait, you KNOW this thing!?!?” Akko spluttered, looking incredulously at Sucy.

Sucy nodded, looking about as perturbed as if she'd been told she was having salad for lunch. “What, you've never seen a Beholder before?” she said. “Extra-dimensional creatures. The eyes let them see things we can't. Very good detectives, the school hires them in the event of security breaches.”

She grinned, slightly naughtily. “This guy, I helped Lukic summon it a month or so ago. Long story. But don't worry, they're harmless.”

“R-Right...” Akko did not look entirely convinced. “I...uh, hi, Ach-Xothu! It's Akko... N-N-Nice to meet you!”

The Beholder chuckled softly. “ **Good to meet you too, Akko! Sorry about the scare, didn't mean to startle you.** ” it said. “ **But do excuse me, I'm afraid I haven't got much time to chat, I've been tasked with tracking down someone threatening to blow up the school.** ”

“B-Blow up the school!?” blurted Akko and Sucy as one.

“ **Yes, something like that. Some disgruntled ex-student, apparently they went bananas and tried to destroy the school with an old magical robot or something? They** **mentioned the name “Wilma” briefly, but** **-** ”

“Oh god, _Wilma_ _!?_ ” Sucy cut it off. “Ach-Xothu, if it's really her, well, watch yourself, she's _nuts_.”

Ach-Xothu  winced. “ **Oh lord, really? I mean, I'm a Beholder, I can deal with most things, so-** ”

This time Akko interrupted him, snapped out of her apprehensiveness by the mention of Wilma. “No, Mr. Beholder, she's absolutely off her trolley!” she exclaimed. “I've never met anyone as downright nasty as her, I don't think there's anything she wouldn't do if she was cornered!”

“She's right, you know.” said Sucy. “That girl, I'd take my chances with demons over her. She isn't just some delinquent or hothead. She's a monster...”

The entity's eyes flicked back and forth, uncomfortably, as it floated silently with its mouth agape.

“ **...Ah.** ” it spoke at last. “ **Well, I'll...bear that in mind. But thank you for warning me, sounds like a grade-A fruitcake.** ”

Sucy nodded. “With bells on.” she said. “Just, take care, OK?”

The Beholder's toothy smile returned. “ **Oh yes, don't worry about me, I'm sure I'll be fine. Anyway, you two get in, it's cold out here. I'll deal with our wannabe-terrorist problem.** ” it replied, confidently. “ **And, uh, merry Christmas!** ”

Akko beamed. “Merry Christmas!”

  
  


“Well, look who's still alive!” laughed Sarah, as she saw Akko and Sucy striding in through Luna Nova's entrance hall. “We were worried about you, you've been gone for ages!”

Akko chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, we were a bit of a while weren't we?” she answered. “Went out for a short walk, then one thing turned into another and before you know it, it's dark, heh heh.”

“Yeah, we...got waylaid.” said Sucy. “Long story. But hopefully Finnelan isn't gonna blow our ears off over this, I'd-”

“Ah, there you two are!” came Finnelan's voice from across the hall, in a refreshingly non-accusatory tone for once. “And don't worry, Miss Manbavaran, Miss Kagari, your ears are quite safe. We're just glad you've returned safely. Things have been a little...fraught here, as you may have noticed by our current visitor.”

Sucy nodded. “I was about to say, that was kinda alarming. Not every day you have a Beholder on patrol outside the school.”

“I'll say!” said Sarah. “The thing nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw it!”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Now now, Miss Bernhardt, “the thing” has a name. No need to be rude about it.” she said, with a very slight hint of playfulness. “But yes, I can understand the surprise.”

The Japanese girl shrugged. “You'd think after the whole missile fiasco we'd be done with drama here, huh?” she gasped. “Seems we can't even have a simple Christmas without someone trying to blow us up!”

“It certainly seems that way.” sighed Anne. “By the Nine, what's become of the world?”

Akko folded her arms. “Not a clue. Anyway, if you don't mind us, we've got an appointment with a hot bath.”

“Oh, absolutely, that sounds very sensible given the cold. I'll stop holding you up.”

Smiling politely, Akko and Sucy were just about to exit the entrance hallway when all of a sudden, Sarah started waving to them, beckoning for their attention.

“Ah, Akko!” she said. “Sorry, just remembered, Cassandra said she wanted to talk to you tomorrow lunchtime! Just wanted to pass that on!”

“T-Thanks! Gah, nearly forgot about all that...it's been one of those days...” she responded.

Waving, she and Sucy strode out of the hall, carefully closing the door behind them.

“Cassandra, huh?” chuckled Sucy. “Planning on commissioning some Shiny Chariot fanart, I take it?”

Akko wagged her finger, naughtily. “Ah, now that, my dear Sucy, is top secret.” she giggled. “You'll just have to wait and see!”

  
  


  
  


With a burble, the flow of hot water ceased from the tap as Akko twisted the valve handle shut. Steam rose from the bathtub, the surface of the water covered in foamy bubbles. It looked incredibly inviting, and Akko couldn't wait to dive in.

“Alright, Sucy, the water's ready!” she said, excitedly. “Let's get in!”

Sucy nodded, weakly. She looked incredibly embarrassed, blushing profusely.

Akko tilted her head, quizzically. “What's wrong, Sucy?” she asked. “Are you alright?”

The Filipino looked away. “Y-Yeah...I'm sorry, it's just...I don't know if I'm ready for you..to...see me naked...”

There was a brief, awkward silence.

“...Aww, it's OK, Sucy,” said Akko at last. “It'll be fine, there's nothing to be ashamed of! We're girlfriends, we can see each other like this.”

Sucy shook her head. “Are you sure?” she said, timidly. “I don't want you to laugh or freak out or anything-”

“Sucy, it's fine.” Akko cut her off. “Tell you what, I'll take my robe off first, then you don't have to be embarrassed about it, OK?”

“...OK...”

Without so much as hesitating, Akko shrugged off her bathrobe and let it fall to the floor, revealing her body to Sucy.

“See? Nothing to worry about!” She said, cheerily as always.

Sucy's face went a bright red. “O-Oh, Akko...” she stammered. “I...I'm sorry, I'm..I'm sorry, I don't know what I expected...Oh my...”

Akko's body was slender and wiry, with subtle but clearly defined muscles under her soft skin. She was not exactly buxom, but her figure, whilst petite, was certainly appealing. Though she was far too embarrassed to admit it, Sucy couldn't help but find her incredibly attractive.

“Well? Come on, your turn!” chuckled Akko. “Don't be shy!”

The pale girl nodded, weakly, and very slowly slipped off her bathrobe.

Sucy, Akko noticed, was surprisingly curvy; her figure was usually almost always obscured by her choice in outfits, with even her regular skirt being quite long. A pity, really- she had gorgeous legs and a very slight hourglass waistline.

Akko grinned. “There we go! That wasn't so hard, was it?” she said, a playful but reassuring tone in her voice. “You're really pretty, by the way!”

Her girlfriend's face somehow flushed even redder than before. “I-I-I-I am?” she stammered, clearly not sure whether to be flattered or frightened. “Oh...thank you, that's...I'm sorry-”

“Now now, Sucy.” chuckled Akko. “What did I say about not apologizing for existing? You especially don't need to be sorry for being cute!”

For a second, Sucy looked like she was about to explode with anxiety. Then, at last, she managed to regain some measure of calm, and smiled.

“You're right, Akko...” she mumbled. “And, thank you. You're...not so bad yourself...”

The  brunette practically squealed with delight. “Awwwww, that's more like it!” she giggled. “Now, let's get in!”

Carefully, Akko raised her leg over the side of the bath and stepped into the tub, before lowering herself into the water. She gasped with happiness as she felt the warmth wash over her, reinvigorating her cold-riddled limbs.

“Oooooh, that's lovely!” she sighed. “C'mon, the water's to die for!” Nodding, Sucy followed Akko's lead and clambered into the bath, sinking beneath the water.

Akko was absolutely right- the heat of the bath radiated through her body, thawing her chilled bones and leaving her feeling wonderfully cosy. Having Akko next to her was certainly a bonus, too.

“You know, Akko, this was a good idea.” she admitted. “Sorry I was so hesitant. This is nice.”

The Japanese girl winked. “Heh, it certainly is!” she responded. “Perfect way to warm up after getting cold!”

She slid closer to Sucy, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Sucy juddered a little bit, but to her relief seemed to be happy with the embrace- indeed, a few seconds later she reciprocated, holding herself closer to Akko.

Sucy couldn't quite believe what was happening. Not only was she sharing a bath with her true love, but somehow, this skin-to-skin contact didn't feel anywhere near as frightening as she'd expected. She'd been panicked she might lose control again, but somehow, even exposed like this, she felt  _ safe _ .

“Akko, you're so...soft...” she murmured. "I love this...But, I did want to say...”

The girl nodded. “Go on, what is it?”

The Filipino briefly averted her gaze. “P-Please, don't touch me anywhere funny.” she answered. “I'm not ready for anything like that yet...”

Akko nodded again, resolutely. “Of course, Sucy. If you're feeling uncomfortable, just tell me. I'm not gonna do anything weird.” she said.

Sucy smiled, very softly. “Thanks, Akko. I'm glad you understand.” she said, wriggling a little closer. “You're the best girlfriend ever.”

Akko couldn't resist squeezing her a little tighter; to her satisfaction, Sucy purred with contentment, evidently enjoying the affection.

“Heh, for someone with a fixation on mushrooms, you really are a sweet little flower, Sucy...” Akko tittered as she cuddled her.

Her girlfriend snorted with barely-suppressed laughter. “Goddamnit, Akko, you really are the sappiest person I've ever met.” she chortled. “But god, I love you so much...”

Akko said nothing, just holding Sucy close to her.

  
  


  
  


“A bath together? Really?” said Lotte, slightly taken aback. “I mean, that's lovely, but...wow, they must be really close!”

Elizabeth shrugged. “Well that's what Sarah said, anyway.” replied the vampire. “Not sure if she actually meant like _that_ mind you, but it wouldn't surprise me. I think they _really_ love each other.”

“No kidding!” said Amanda. “Geez, they sure hit it off quick, didn't they? I mean, not too long ago I woulda laughed if you said they were gonna be girlfriends!”

“Yeah, it _is_ a bit out of left field.” Elizabeth said, pensively. “I know Sucy took Ramza's death pretty hard, but still, I'd never have expected this. Not that I'm complaining, but you know.”

Lotte shook her head. “Well...I suppose it's not as unexpected as you might think.” she said. “Sucy always liked Akko a lot more than she let on. I think she was in denial about how much she cared about her, but then...that happened, and she couldn't deny it any longer.”

She stroked her chin. “I remember, one time Akko was helping her test one of her potions, and she had a really bad reaction to it. She flat-out refused to admit it afterwards, but I'd rarely seen Sucy panicked like that.”

Amanda scratched her head, looking rather surprised. “Damn...I had no idea. Still, it seems odd somehow. They don't seem like the kind of people you'd imagine endin' up together. I always thought Sucy found her kinda annoyin' at times.”

Lotte paused, and sighed deeply.

“Sucy's...complicated.” she said, after a protracted silence. “I don't know all the details, and I'm not about to go poking into her business, but, she hasn't exactly had a fun time of it, and she's...she's not very good with people.”

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

“Yeah. From what she's told me, and what I've seen, she's kinda awkward with social skills, especially making friends. I suppose that with- no, I've said too much, I need to stop.”

“No, I think I get where you're comin' from.” said Amanda. “It's fine, it's not really our business to know the details.”

The vampire nodded in agreement. “In any case, hopefully that's all in the past now. Onwards and upwards, and all that.”

Lotte beamed. “I hope so too. And let's hope there's no more nasty surprises today, I've had just about enough of those!” she chuckled.

  
  


Wilma felt herself growing ever more furious. She'd been annoyed enough that Diana had escaped her control, but for the Welspite to be neutralized so easily, that was a real blow. She hadn't expected that good-for-nothing broom-jockey Nelson to have known the automaton's shutdown code- now she was going to have to pull out the big guns. And now there was a Beholder on the school grounds.

She rummaged through her “box of tricks” in search of the next weapon to bring out. Perhaps a summoned monster would be the solution? It would at the very least distract that ridiculous bag of eyeballs that the staff had evidently called on for security, giving her the chance to slip in undetected whilst she formulated a new disguise.

Actually, there was a point- where was that stupid thing? She'd been tracking its movements to keep out of sight of it, but she'd somehow lost it. How was that even possible?

She was in the process of withdrawing a summoning orb from her box when she was interrupted by an otherworldly, if well-spoken, voice from behind her.

“ **Excuse me miss, I hope I'm not interrupting anything** **,** ” said the voice. “ **I don't suppose you know anything about someone trying to...** ”

Wilma slowly turned to face the speaker,  and to her horror realized it was, indeed, the Beholder she had so foolishly let out of her sight. And by the looks of things the creature had worked out who she was, as its expression immediately took on a look of mild concern.

“ **Ah. I think you'd better come with me.** ” it said, evidently trying not to sound confrontational. 

Wilma snarled, glaring at the seven-eyed creature.

“ _Over my dead body._ ” she hissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as usual, the chapter is late as all hell. I'll skip the grovelling and excuse making and just say that hopefully the next one will be a bit more prompt. I wouldn't hold your breath, but I have a better idea of what I want the next chapter to actually be, so there's hope!
> 
> I don't really have much else to add in terms of notes beyond I had difficulty wrapping this chapter up. I was originally intending on Wilma pulling a bazooka out on poor Ach-Xothu but I decided that might be a bit too silly even for me.
> 
> Anyway. Next time: the climactic final confrontation with Wilma! Will the psychotic Swede finally be brought to justice? Or will she have one last trick up her sleeve?


	6. An End to Hostilities (But Not This Story)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilma has been found skulking outside the school by the hired Beholder, but it seems she's got a few tricks up her sleeve yet! Oh no! Will she finally be dealt with once and for all? Or will she succeed where the Grinch has failed in ruining Christmas?

“ **I say, there's no need for that!** ” spluttered Ach-Xothu, quite shocked by Wilma's response. “ **Please, come along quietly,** **for both our sakes.** ”

The Swede  scowled , malevolently. “Not a chance. I'm not going anywhere.” she spa t. “What are you going to do if I don't, eat me?”

Ach-Xothu  rolled all seven of his eyes. “ **Certainly not.** ” it said, trying to remain composed. “ **Probably just magically restrain you and take you back to the authorities, but I'd really rather it didn't come to that.** ”

“Go on then.” Wilma replied, contemptuously. “Try it. Make my day.”

“ **Come on, Wilma, there's no need to be like this. I'm just doing my job, don't make it any harder than it has to be.** ”

Wilma glared at the entity, her own acid-green eyes meeting its burning-coal cyclopean gaze. Slowly, the corners of her mouth curled upwards into an utterly deranged Cheshire-cat smile, and she started to laugh to herself, if the nauseatingly deranged noise she was making could be called laughter.

“Is that a challenge?” she sneered. “Because it sounds like a challenge to me. So how should I start? Maybe by slowly pulling those stupid eye-stalks off your head, one by one? Or throwing salt in that great ugly eyeball of yours?”

The Beholder blinked, unable to maintain the staredown with this vile girl.  It rather doubted that she'd be even remotely capable of such acts given her relative size, but for her to not only threaten him, but to do so in such an utterly brazen, unflinching manner...what was  _ wrong _ with her?

“ **Now now, there's no need for threats.** ” it muttered, attempting to conceal the utter disgust and slight fear it was feeling. “ **I really don't-** ”

The pigtailed girl just laughed again. “Threats? Oh, no no, you've got it all wrong. Those weren't threats.” she giggled. “Those were  _ promises _ .”

“ **R-Right, now that's just out of order.** ” it said, eye-stalks twitching wildly. “ **I've been patient with you so far, but-** ”

“No, it's me that's been patient with _you_ so far.” cackled Wilma, her “smile” now a twisted mask of utter spite. “Thinking you can approach me, no doubt to protect those _sickening_ little lovebirds from my divine retribution, quite arrogant of you. If I weren't the benevolent angel of a woman that I am, you'd already be running back to the outer planes with tears in whatever eyes I left you with. But fortunately I am a gracious one, and I might just spare you that indignity if you stay out of my way. Who knows? You might even get to see what I do to those _whores_. Now wouldn't that be fun?”

Ach-Xothu's jaw dropped. It couldn't quite believe what it was hearing. What kind of a psychopath was this girl?

“ **You aren't laying one finger on them! Or anyone else for that matter!** ” it snapped. “ **This is your last warning, Wilma, or so help me I'll-** ”

“Yes! Do it! Do your worst, you miserable creature!” she exclaimed, what little remained of her sanity having utterly escaped her. “Because after you, _THEY'RE NEXT!_ ”

That did it. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

“ **Right, don't say I didn't warn you!** ” roared the Beholder, as its eyes began to glow bright with radiant magical power. “ **You've had your chance, and now-** ”

Before it could finish its sentence, however, Wilma flung her arms wide open, as if to embrace the entity, before bringing her hands clapping together,  bellowing a single, inhuman syllable of some dark tongue as she did so . There was a flash of purest darkness, such that even Ach-Xothu's sight could not penetrate it, followed by a  shrieking noise and a shockwave of force, sending the levitating creature soaring backwards through the air, before landing with a soft  _ thud _ on the frosty ground.

“ **G-Gnnnhhh...** ” it groaned, as it slowly began to rise above the earth again. “ **Chuffing Nora, what was that?** ”

Its eyes tracked back and forth, trying to catch sight of the lunatic, but somehow its sight seemed cloudy and blurred, unable to see coherently.

As its vision swam before it, it slowly realized what had happened. Wilma was evidently in possession of more than just black magic items; she clearly had knowledge of actual forbidden spells too. She had cast a powerful curse, manifesting as a literal explosion of shadow, that had sent Ach-Xothu flying and temporarily damaged his sight. The fact she was not only able to cast such dangerous magic, but was willing to do so, was cause for major alarm. Being a Beholder, the curse would soon lift, but if she did that to a human...

“ **Wilma, I don't know what you think you're doing, but you're making a big mistake!** ” it called out into the darkness. “ **Stop this madness at once!** ”

The sound of unhinged, gibbering laughter rang out across the grounds. “You think I care what happens to me?” the girl shouted back. “All I care about is that those human  _ vermin _ get their comeuppance!”

Ach-Xothu shook itself in at attempt to restore its vision quicker. “ **Look, I don't know what they've allegedly done to you, but isn't this just a bit of an overreaction?** ” it responded. “ **Are you really willing to go to prison over something this petty?** ”

“What makes you think I'm going to prison? If you can't take me on, what chance does anyone else have?” Wilma scoffed. “If you want to stop me, you're going to have to kill me!”

“ **Nobody is killing anybody! Please, come to your senses already! Think about how your family would feel if they saw you like this!** ”

There was a brief silence. The Beholder could tell it had struck a nerve; whether for the better or the worse, it wasn't sure.

“...My family?” the psychotic girl spat. “You think I give a _**shit**_ about what they'd feel?! Those cretins aren't worthy to breathe the same air as me, let alone call themselves my family! Maybe once I'm done with you lot, I'll give them a piece of my mind too!”

Ach-Xothu wasn't sure whether to feel repulsed, sympathetic or terrified. Nobody should be talking like that, let alone at her age- it wasn't prison she needed, it was mental health treatment.

As its vision finally began to clear, the Beholder saw that Wilma was advancing towards it, clutching what looked like an elaborately decorated knife. She was shuddering with fits of rage, and the boundless, unholy anger in her eyes was quite unlike anything it had ever witnessed. The pitilessness of those green eyes was utterly horrific; it was like every scrap of humanity had been drained from her, leaving only violent, murderous fury.

It tried to cast a paralysis spell, hoping to stop her before she could get any closer, but to its horror, found that its power refused to manifest, clearly as a lingering result of the curse. It was defenceless against a disgruntled 16 year old girl; a fact that would have been amusing were it not for the gravity of the situation.

“Now, eyeballs, I'm going to send you to Hell, where you belong!” she howled, as she broke into a run, holding the knife aloft with both hands. “And then, I'm-”

“ _Muscularae Arrestum!_ ”

There was a flash of green light, and Wilma suddenly came to a halt, almost comically freezing mid-stride. She fell flat on her face scant metres from Ach-Xothu, limbs locked at her side, and the knife dropped from her fingers to the ground, embedding itself in the earth.

Baffled, the Beholder turned from the now-neutralized Wilma to the source of the spell, and saw a panting Diana clutching her wand, a determined grimace on her face. At her side were Ursula, Jasminka and Constanze, all looking incredibly anxious.

“That's enough, you _monster!_ ” Diana snapped, slowly lowering her wand. “Your lunacy ends here!...Not you, you're fine. I'm talking to her.”

Ach-Xothu breathed a sigh of relief. “ **Phew...thank you for the save, there.** ” it gasped. “ **I'm not sure that would have gone very well if you hadn't shown up when you did. Some Beholder I am, eh?** ”

“Don't worry about it.” said Ursula. “We heard the commotion from that spell she cast, and we thought you needed some backup. Besides, it's not every day you find yourself up against high-level black magic.”

“ **Well regardless, thanks a bunch. Nearly ended up in need of a few eyepatches there.** ”

Diana cautiously paced over to Wilma's side, wand aimed squarely at her. The girl was paralysed, locked completely motionless, but her eyes still somehow managed to meet Diana's gaze, glaring maliciously at her.

“She's safe, for now.” she said, as she inspected her handiwork. “But we'd best get her properly dealt with quickly. The spell won't last forever, and if she breaks free whilst we're not prepared, well, you can probably guess how well that will go.”

Ursula nodded. “You're right. Jasminka, give Diana a hand moving her, would you?”

“Sure thing!” replied the tubby witch, marching over the Wilma's prone form and hauling her onto her shoulder almost single-handed.

Diana sighed. “I'd hoped we'd seen the last of her yesterday.  What kind of madness would possess someone to do something this drastic over something so petty?” she said, despondently. “Anyone with any dignity would have left with humility and grace...”

Ursula shook her head, sadly. “I wish I knew. But we'd better get a move on. I think Badcock is contacting the authorities as we speak, let's get her inside before the spell wears off.”

  
  


“Ahhhhhhhhh, that was _wonderful!_ ” exclaimed Akko as she waltzed out of the bathroom, uniform back on and hand in hand with Sucy. “You're a great bathing buddy, you know?”

Sucy felt her cheeks redden a little. “W-Well, you 're pretty good yo urself, heh heh...” she replied, bashfully.

It had been an utterly surreal experience, sharing a bath with Akko, but she'd enjoyed it far more than she'd expected to. Thawing out in the warm water with Akko to cuddle up to was thoroughly pleasant, and after the initial embarrassment, the closeness of it felt strangely...liberating, somehow. She hated exposing her body any more than absolutely necessary, but with her? She felt so safe and secure.

“Anyway, we'd best go for dinner, we don't want to be late!” said Akko. “Dunno about you, but I'm pretty hungry!”

The pair were about to head in the direction of the dining hall when  a spine-tingling howl of rage pierced the air, echoing down the corridor and nearly giving the couple a heart attack.

“Oh, crap, that doesn't sound very good.” said Sucy, dryly. “I think we'd best take a look to see what's happened.”

Akko nodded, decisively. “Yeah, I hope nothing's happened to anyone! Come on, let's go!”

  
  


“What have you done to me!?!” screeched Wilma as she writhed ineffectively against the ribbons that secured her to the chair. “Release me at _once_ , you worthless creatures!”

Ursula sighed, exasperatedly. She'd really, really hoped she wasn't going to have to deal with Wilma again after her prompt exit from Luna Nova yesterday; she tried to see the best in everyone, but the best she could see in her was that she was currently rendered harmless by the enchanted restraining ribbons.

“I'm afraid we can't do that, Wilma.” she said, as calmly as she could. “You're a danger to us and yourself at the moment. Until you can be safely sent home, we're going to have to keep you like this.”

The Swede's eyebrows twitched erratically. “I am NOT going back  _there!_ ” she spat. “I'm not going anywhere! If I have to die here, so be it!”

Diana folded her arms. “For goodness' sake, Wilma, do you really think that's going to happen?”  she muttered. “Let me tell you what's happening- you're going to sit here with us keeping watch until the relevant authorities can take you away, whereupon after a hopefully brief stay in a psychiatric care unit you can go back home and with any luck lead a happier, more comfortable life away from the people you hate.”

For a moment, Wilma was silent. Then, she laughed, the hideous sound filling the room.

“Away from the people I hate? You are _joking_ , right?” she scoffed. “There is _nobody_ I don't hate! You're going to have to kill me, because otherwise I _will_ get loose, and let me tell you- I won't stop until either I'm dead or all of you are!”

“Wilma...” said Ursula, a little sadly. “Why are you so desperate to lead a life filled with hate? Surely you'd rather go home and be with your friends and family, and move on from this place, right?”

If looks could kill, then Ursula would have been stone dead from the glare the deranged girl gave her.

“Friends?” she seethed. “Family? You know _nothing_ , Ursula. I don't have friends. I don't _need_ friends. And as for family? I'd be better off without them.”

Ursula shook her head. “You don't mean that, do you?” she said, softly.

Then, the door swung open, and Sucy and Akko rushed in,  panting from the rush they'd been in.

“Is everything alright?” gasped Akko. “We heard a commotion, and-”

“YOU TWO!” bellowed Wilma. “You DARE show your faces before me, you repulsive vermin!”

Ursula shot a very, very concerned look at the couple. “Ah, you'd probably best be getting out of here, I don't think this is a very good time.” she said. “I'll talk to you later-”

“Oh, so desperate to protect them, are you?” crowed the psychotic girl. “You have a soft spot for them, do you? For the brainless hussy and her squeeze, a creature so disgusting even her parents abandoned her? What a pathetic excuse for a woman you are! I should-”

“You shut your _filthy mouth_ , Wilma.” snapped Jasminka, fists clenched. “Or so help me I'm going to take one of these ribbons and shut it for you.”

Diana winced at the Russian. “Not helpful, Jasminka, not helpful...” she said through gritted teeth.

The tubby witch nodded, curtly, and stepped back.

“Come on, then! Are you here to gloat?” Wilma hissed. “I suppose you two need every opportunity you can get to big yourselves up, given your utter lack of redeeming features!”

Akko ignored the jab. “What happened, Ursula?” she asked, deeply concerned. “Is everyone OK?”

“Yes, everyone's OK.” replied her mentor. “Wilma here was discovered by Ach-Xothu, armed with a cursed knife. Fortunately Diana stopped her, and we're waiting for the authorities to come and take her away...”

“So, was she the one that used that mind-manacle on Diana?” added Sucy. “And set that robot thing on the school?”

Diana nodded. “That's right, Sucy. She tricked me into putting that ring on, and used it to make me do those...awful things...” she said, shuddering slightly. “Isn't that right,  _Margaret O'Loch?_ ”

The Swede just smirked. “So, you finally worked it out?” she said, facetiously. “Took you long enough. But aren't you forgetting something? Like the reason you accepted my offer in the first place?”

“Wilma, _stop it_.” said Diana, angrily. “You're only digging yourself a bigger hole.”

“Ha! Too ashamed to admit it, then?” she cackled. “The fact that you wanted Akko for yourself long before you put that ring on? The fact you were all too happy to let me help you take her?”

Diana balled her hands into fists. “I did NOT want to  _take her!_ ” she yelled. “You tricked me into that whole sordid affair, feeding me lies and deceit! I would NEVER try and tear Akko away from the one she loved without your treachery, you snake!”

Wilma cocked her head. “Oh, so the “I'm actually in love with Akko” bit was a lie, was it?” she chortled. “Don't you love her?”

“Of course I love her!” the Cavendish snapped. “That's _precisely_ why I'd never want to do that to her! As if someone like you could understand love!”

“I understand love well enough to know it's nothing but a weakness! A solace for the pathetic and the hopeless! I-”

“You're wrong, Wilma.” Sucy cut her off. “You're totally wrong.”

Wilma went quite silent. She spun her head to face Sucy, face contorted with anger.

“What would _you_ know about it?” she spat. “You're the embodiment of weakness! Relying on someone else to keep what little of your self-worth you have left propped up, and then collapsing the moment it's taken away! Just like happened with Ramza, and just like will happen with Akko when she inevitably leaves you!”

Sucy shook her head. “No, that's not true.” she said, calmly. “People can't manage on their own. Loneliness, it does bad things to you. I would know, I tried to shut people out and stay alone for years, and it didn't work...you're the same, aren't you?”

“What are you _talking about?_ ”

The lilac-haired girl continued. “I can tell, you're just like I was.  Scared and angry at the world for treating you badly. You were left alone, and you thought that was the only way to be. I don't know what exactly happened to you, but...I'm sorry, Wilma. I'm sorry for what you must have gone through to get to be like this. And...”

She paused, shaking her head.

“...And I forgive you. For all the horrible things you've done to me, Akko and my friends, I still forgive you.”

A look of absolute, complete and utter horror took over Wilma's face, followed by abject misery, blind rage, and then a stomach churning mixture of all three.

Then, she screamed, an inarticulate, wordless shriek of pure hatred.

“YOU BITCH! YOU DISGUSTING, VILE WORM! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I'LL FLAY YOU ALIVE!” she gibbered, all sense gone from her. “I'M GOING TO SEND YOU STRAIGHT DOWN TO HELL! I'LL DO THINGS TO YOU THAT-”

Before she could finish, Diana flicked her wand at her, a wisp of blue light flying from the end and striking Wilma, who slumped forward, unconscious.

“That was...not the best thing to say, Sucy.” she said, earnestly. “I'm sure you didn't mean any harm by it, but-”

“I know...I'm sorry.” Sucy cut her off. “I just...I don't know. I thought I might actually be able to help...I guess I was wrong.”

Akko looked very confused. “I don't get it...why would you want to help someone like her?” she asked. “After what she did to you...”

Sucy put a hand on Akko's shoulder, and smiled very softly.

“Because if it weren't for you, I could easily have turned out like her.” she replied. “I just...I wish she'd found her own Akko. I hope she still does.”

The room went utterly quiet, and Akko stared into Sucy's eye, dumbfounded.

“Sucy...” she gasped. “You're so much nicer than you think you are...”

  
  


It was 6:42 in the evening. The Psychiatric Assistance Lobby for Arcane-Needs Troubled Individual's Rehabilitation (P.A.L.A.N.T.I.R) had collected Wilma from the school, presumably to be taken to a care home whilst they tried to work out how best to treat her. The moment the van arrived, there was little doubt who it was for. Many students were glad to be rid of her, particularly those that had suffered from her malevolence. But for others, there was nothing to celebrate- just a slight feeling of emptiness over the sorry end to a bitter affair.

Akko, Sucy and their friends sat around the dinner table, enjoying the delicious food that Jasminka had assisted the cook-goblins in preparing. Though overall cheerful, they were slightly sober over the whole Wilma fiasco.

“So...that's what happened, huh.” said Amanda. “I can't say I'm gonna miss the fruitcake, but I can't say I'm happy about this either.”

Jasminka shook her head. “I know what you mean. I'd been expecting to be thinking “good riddance to bad rubbish”, but, that was just sad.” she sighed. “She might have been a malicious piece of work, but...I don't know. All very unpleasant.”

She sighed, before taking another bite of roast potato.

“Although that does remind me,” she added, suddenly looking a lot more cheerful. “I need to make some fruitcake for next time!”

A little giggle went up around the table. Jasminka's ability to steer conversations towards food was endlessly amusing.

“Are you doing alright, Sucy?” asked Lotte. “I can't imagine this was quite what you'd had in mind for today.”

Sucy smiled in reply. “Yeah, I'm fine, thanks.” she said. “No use crying over spilled milk.”

“A fair point.” said Diana. “That whole situation was incredibly unfortunate, but perhaps it's best to try and put it behind us.”

“That's my thoughts exactly. Besides, I've got far too much to be happy about to be hung up over it. I'm eating good food with my friends, and I have the best girlfriend anyone could ask for.”

She put an arm around Akko, who blushed slightly, but grinned ear-to-ear nonetheless.

“Aww, Sucy, you're just the sweetest thing, you know that?” she chuckled.

Diana smiled broadly. “You two, you make such a good couple.” she said, blushing a little herself. “I'm so glad it all turned out OK.”

“Y-Yeah...” mumbled Sucy. “Me too. Oh, and Diana...thank you.”

“Hmm? Thank you for what?”

Sucy shook her head. “Oh, it...doesn't matter.” she said, quietly. “Never mind.”

The Cavendish looked very perplexed for a few moments; then she smiled, knowingly.

“It's alright, Sucy.” she said, very softly. “I know. But it's OK. All I want is for the both of you to be happy together. That's all that matters to me.”

The entire table went utterly silent, awestruck. Then, finally, Akko spoke.

“Thanks, Diana...” she said, confidently “I'm so glad you get it...and that you're so nice.”

Diana just beamed, sincerely.

“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject. “What's it like having a real Christmas dinner, Akko?”

Akko gave a thumbs-up. “Oh boy, you have no idea! I'm so glad I got to try it, it's so good!” she replied. “Not sure I'll be able to go back to fried chicken after tasting turkey, heh heh.”

“I know what you mean,” said Sucy eagerly, gulping down a mouthful of sprout. “It's pretty amazing! I don't think I've ever had anything like this before!”

Smirking slyly, Akko nudged Sucy with her elbow. “No need for mushrooms either, huh?” she sniggered.

“Nope, you got me there.” chuckled the Filipino. “Though give me time and I'm sure I could find a way to work them in somehow, hee hee hee!”

Jasminka stroked her chin. “Hmm, if I'd thought I might have done a mushroom-based stuffing,” she pondered. “But-”

“Oh, no, it's fine, Jasminka!” Sucy cut her off, looking slightly ashamed. “I'm only being silly, that's all. This is all absolutely wonderful! I wouldn't change any of it!”

“Relax, Sucy, you're OK! Don't worry about it, I was only thinking aloud.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Well in any event, this is all quite delicious!” she said, taking a sip from her drink. “Makes me wonder how you're going to top this for the Winter Ball!”

“Oh, just you watch, she never disappoints does our Jas!” exclaimed Amanda. “Never known a cook like her...speakin' of, that drink looks pretty good, what is it?”

The vampire's smile became quite a bit more awkward. “Ah...It's, uh, not something you'd like...” she answered, sheepishly. “Jasminka sorted it for me, but I'm not sure it's quite...proper.”

“Eh? She got you mulled wine? You lucky thing!” Amanda laughed. “Don't worry, I won't tell a-”

“Well it's mulled, but it's..not wine...”

The Irish-American cocked her eyebrows. “Oh, something harder? Port?” she probed, a cheeky grin on her face. “Maybe-”

“It's mulled turkey blood. Jasminka thought it might be a bit more festive than the usual pig blood...”

Amanda's grin evaporated in an instant.

“...Ah.” she said, restraining the urge to vomit. “Oookaaayyy then. Right, I think I might not ask for a sip...”

Elizabeth allowed herself a little titter. “Yeah, it's an um...acquired taste.” she said, slightly playfully but with more than a little embarrassment.

“Uh, moving swiftly on,” said Lotte, who was trying to hide her slight nausea at Elizabeth's grisly Christmas tipple. “I think we should have a toast. To everyone, but especially Akko and Sucy!”

Diana nodded. “I concur!” she said, raising her glass. “To Luna Nova, and to love!”

The rest of the girls followed suit, with the exception of the ever-mute Constanze, who nonetheless raised her glass with a smile, and Elizabeth, who joined in the toast but decided it was best to keep her drink as far from everyone else as possible.

“Well, this is more what I had in mind for today!” giggled Akko as soon as the toast was done. “Nice food, good friends, happy times!”

Sucy just smiled. It seemed that after all the heartache she'd been through recently, it was finally her turn for happiness. Even if today had been filled with its fair share of tiresome crap, it had been equally filled with wonderful things. This lovely dinner, reuniting with Lailani...

...And Akko. Her slightly hare-brained, madly impulsive, perpetually over-excitable, utterly adorable, incredibly kind-hearted, blessed Akko. The greatest gift she could possibly have asked for.

_Whoever's out there...God, Santa Claus, the Great Mushroom, whoever..._ she thought.  _Thank you. For once in my life, thank you._

  
  


  
  


The night was cold, and the wind was blowing a gale. Even with the fire fairies working hard to warm Luna Nova up, it was still pretty chilly, even in the dorms. But Sucy didn't mind; not with her personal hot water bottle and cuddle dispenser to keep her cosy.

She was having a bit of trouble sleeping for some reason, but it didn't worry her that much. She was a heavy sleeper, but actually drifting off in the first place was sometimes hard. She was used to it, even as much of a nuisance as it was. But struggling to get to sleep with Akko by her side was far better than struggling to get to sleep on her own.

Akko had long since dozed off, hugging Sucy like a slightly spooky teddy bear. Sucy was still amazed at how different her embrace felt nowadays. Before, she'd found her predilection towards hugs to be very annoying, and a bit unsettling. Now, Akko's embrace was something she wouldn't give away for the world. But then, saying that, it seemed like the cuddles she gave were far more...genuine now. She didn't doubt her intentions were pure before, of course, but now they were far softer, less bone-crushing but so much more meaningful. Given with real love.

Sucy, for her part, was clinging right back onto Akko. Considering how slight the girl was, she was extremely comforting to hold in her arms. Warm, soft, yielding, yet also firm and reassuring to be with. She just hoped Akko liked snuggling up with her as much as she did.

The last few days still seemed a little like a fever dream. She couldn't quite get it through her head that this was all actually happening, that someone really did love her and that this wasn't all a figment of a desperate imagination. It was sadly natural for her to lean towards pessimism- try as she might, she still struggled to try and forget painful memories from her youth, and there was no doubt that a lot of the difficulties she faced would never truly go away.

But it was alright. This was real, so wonderfully real, and for once in her life, she was happy. And not because of some chemical concoction or psychoactive fungus, but because she was with someone she loved, who loved her back.

She gazed tenderly at Akko's sleeping face, and smiled.

“Goodnight, Akko.” she whispered. “I love you.”

She leant in and very gingerly kissed her cheek, before hunkering down to sleep. She soon felt herself drifting off, but not before she heard Akko murmur something in her slumber.

“Mahal kita...Sucy...” Akko mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apologies for the slightly shorter than average chapter- it had come to a relatively natural stopping point, and as I'm trying to work on not keeping people waiting the best part of several months for updates, I thought it would be better to call it a chapter and get it published rather than force myself to get it up to the usual 6000+ word count and delay it even further for no real benefit. The fic is far from over; I have a plan for when I want it to end, but there's much more I want to tell.
> 
> Anyway, the usual round of notes that nobody asked for-  
> >Wilma is out of the picture, for good this time. I'm absolutely not going to bring her back for a hat trick of making our little witches' lives worse. Depending on how you fine folks feel about this I might be tempted to explore her character in greater depth in the future, but those will be prequels or side-stories; her part to play in this saga is well and truly over. I'm sick of writing her quite frankly, for reasons beyond regular writer burnout that I will not elaborate on here.  
> >On a similar note, I'm definitely toning down the angst for the future updates to this story. I feel this story has gotten far too dramatic compared to my original plans (would you believe I originally intended to not include Wilma in this at all?) and from here on in I feel some fluff is called for. Not to say there won't be some bittersweetness, but no more high-tension antics.  
> >On a more fun note, Wilma's alias of "Margaret O'Loch" can of course be shortened to "M.O'Loch", which is of course a dreadful pun on "Moloch". Because only Wilma would have the poor taste to make a false name patterned around a demon. Wait, this was supposed to be a fun note...  
> >Elizabeth, being a vampire, can (and must) eat normal food, but has to consume blood (of any kind) to keep her vampirism in check.  
> >Seriously. No more Wilma. For real this time!
> 
> Thank you as always, faithful readers, and I'll see you for the next chapter! The infinitely happier, sillier, fluffier next chapter. I promise.


	7. Silly Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a certain thorn in everyone's side finally gone, things are at long last returning to normal. Well, as normal as it ever can be in Luna Nova. And with the Winter Ball imminent, it's a good job too!

Akko's eyes flicked open, as the winter sun bathed the dorm room with light.

She yawned, still feeling a little drowsy from her long sleep. She'd nodded off quite early last night, having felt completely drained from the events of the day, and whilst she felt wonderfully relaxed and refreshed as a result, such a protracted doze was rather difficult to snap out of.

Not that it mattered, really. As far as she was aware, this week wasn't going to have any especially heavy classes, and after the Winter Ball everyone was going home for three weeks. No need to spring up extra early- plenty of time to spend in bed with Sucy.

Speaking of Sucy, the girl was still fast asleep, clinging on to Akko and snoring softly. She looked incredibly peaceful; the look of simple, serene happiness on her face was quite heartwarming. Akko could have spent all day watching her sleep like that.

The Japanese girl giggled a little to herself at the thought. What a curveball this whole situation had been. Less than a week ago and it seemed like everything was on track to going back to normal, now that the whole “saviour of magic” thing had calmed down, and here she was now snuggled up with a beautiful girlfriend. Luna Nova had thrown its fair share of surprises at her, but this one took the biscuit.

Though it had to be said, it wasn't exactly a great hardship. If there was any doubt Akko had about her feelings for Sucy, being beside her in bed like this utterly eradicated it. For all her quirks, she was utterly precious, not to mention pretty damn cute...Goddamnit, she was cute.

Feeling particularly cheeky, brave or both, Akko leant in and gave Sucy the merest peck on the cheek. It couldn't be helped, she was just too adorable.

“Mn...Akko...” Sucy murmured, still asleep, but obviously reacting to the kiss. “Please, eat me...”

Akko's eyes practically popped out of their skull, and she _squeaked_ with alarm.

“S-Sucy!” she blurted. “That's a bit sudden, isn't it?”

Sucy's eye snapped open into wakefulness, looking rather surprised and more than a little embarrassed. “Huh? What did I say?” she asked, confused.

“You asked me to eat you!” replied Akko. “Whatever that's supposed to mean...”

Sucy blinked- then her cheeks went bright red, and she clasped her hands in front of her face in shame.

“O-Oh, god, I said that out loud?!?” she gasped. “I thought I was asleep! Oh no, Akko, I didn't mean anything by it, I...”

The brunette looked utterly perplexed for a few seconds, before an impish, sly grin took over her face.

“I mean, if you want me to, I could, heh heh...” she chortled. “Because it's you, and you're so cute...”

Sucy shook her head, wildly. “No, Akko, definitely not...besides, I don't think it's even possible, it was a stupid...never mind...”

“Eh? Of course it's possible, you _do_ know how that works, don't you?”

The lilac-haired girl sighed. “No...I didn't mean  _that_ . I didn't mean anything really, I just had an...interesting dream about...uh...”

Akko's grin only broadened. “Go on! It can't be that bad!”

“...I mean, you _literally_ eating me...”

There was a brief, intensely awkward silence.

“...Ah.” said Akko at last. “That might be a bit...tricky.”

“Oh, I'm sure we could work something out!” came Lotte's voice from the bunk above, sounding incredibly mischievous. “You're good with potions after all, aren't you Sucy?”

The couple almost jumped out of bed. “Lotte?! You heard all that?!?” they spluttered in unison.

Lotte poked her head down from her bunk, a naughty smile on her face. “Every word!” she replied. “Don't worry about it, though, my lips are sealed.”

Sucy looked at Lotte, suspiciously. “You're sure, right?”

“Of course, it's cool. I'm not the kind of person that blabs about people like that. And anyway, I'm into far worse-”

“OK, that's _way_ too much information!” Akko cut her off. “But, yeah, don't tell anyone about that. Not even Amanda.”

“ _Especially_ not Amanda.” added Sucy with a shudder.

Lotte giggled a little. “As if I would!” she laughed. “Honestly, what kind of a person do you take me for?”

She hauled herself back into her bed, yawning a little. “Anyway, I don't know about you guys but I need a bit more rest.” she said. “So if you don't mind me, I'm having a nap.” With that, the Finn sank back into her bed, the bunk creaking slightly.

Akko breathed a sigh of relief. “It's a good job Lotte's, well, Lotte! I dread to think how Diana would have reacted.” she gasped. “She can be such a prude, you know!”

Nodding, Sucy pulled a slight grin. “On the other hand, you've got Amanda. I really hope Lotte doesn't tell her or I'll never hear the end of it. That girl has about as much modesty as...as...”

She scratched her head. “Actually, I got nothing. No thing 's as shameless as Amanda.”

“Hey, don't worry about it, Lotte's not a gossip merchant. Besides, there's only one person that gets to tease my little button mushroom, and that's me!”

Sucy blushed, and her eyebrow twitched a little. “ _My little button mushroom?_ Oh...oh no...” she groaned. “Please, anything but that.”

“Alright, how about “sweetiecakes” or “fluffy-bunnypie” then?” Akko retorted, evidently in an incredibly silly mood.

“Are you _trying_ to give me an aneurysm?”

Akko feigned hurt, albeit not very well. “C'mon, Sucy, you called me “dummy” and “guinea pig” for lord knows how long, it's only fair I give you a silly nickname!” she said,  utterly failing to restrain the smirk  that had crept onto her face, rather demolishing the offended façade.

“Who said fair had anything to do with it?” replied Sucy, her grin returning.

The Japanese girl's smirk became mischievously wicked in a way Sucy didn't realize she was capable of. “Alright, have it your way...” she said, naughtily. “I wonder if Amanda would like to know about that dream you had?”

The colour drained from Sucy's face in an instant. “That's a bit...excessive, isn't it?” she whimpered, her bravado gone.

“I dunno, I'd say that was quite generous. I could ask Wangari to print it in the Luna Nova Chronicle, perhaps set up a love and relationships column? Or maybe-”

“Alright, alright, you win!” Sucy gasped. “I concede...just, please, don't pick anything too humiliating.”

Akko shook her head, giggling. “Oh, Sucy, for such a wind-up merchant, you really are remarkably easy to tease!” she laughed. “But yeah, anyway, a cute nickname for a cute girlfriend. Hmmm.”

She stroked her chin, as she thought through potential monikers for Sucy.

“Sucykins? Nah, far too silly even for me. Sucy-wucy...no, that's even worse, I want to make you blush, not vomit...” she pondered. “C'mon, help me out here! Surely you must have had some nicknames as a kid?”

“Not really, aside from “freak” and “weirdo” I'm afraid...”

Akko's smirk faded. “Awww, Sucy, that's not good...” she sighed. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...wait, I have it!”

Sucy's eyebrow raised. “Oh, no, what have you thought of?”

“Well, Lailani called you “Su” didn't she?” Akko answered. “So, how about “Su-chan”? That's cute!”

The girl went quiet for a few seconds- then her smile returned.

“Su-chan...I kinda like it.” she said, bashfully. “Yeah, I'd be OK with that...”

Akko's face lit up, and she hugged Sucy. “Yay! That's more like it!” she giggled. “I love you, Su-chan!”

Sucy hugged her back, warmly. “I love you too, but...don't overuse it.” she replied. “Don't wanna run it into the ground after all.”

“Heh heh, point taken.”

  
  


  
  


The morning passed relatively quickly. Breakfast came and went, along with the usual chit-chat between Akko's group of friends, and before long it was time for class. Though the Christmas season meant that workloads were significantly reduced with no classes after lunch, and in general the classes were far more relaxed and casual, it was still ultimately study time. The end of term wasn't quite there yet.

Akko, Sucy and Lotte sat down at their desks in the decidedly empty Magical Law classroom, having somehow arrived a little early. Normally, the class would have filled Akko and Lotte with dread, but now they knew Professor Lukic better they felt much less worried. And even Sucy, who always had time for Lukic anyway, seemed far more at ease with her now.

“Looks like we're the only ones here for now.” said Lotte. “I suppose we could take the opportunity to read up on what we'll be doing whilst we're here.”

Akko shrugged. “That's a good idea, but I can't remember what this class was gonna be about.” she sighed. “So much for me improving, I guess.”

“Heh, look at it this way, you've actually got the Magical Law book with you, that's an improvement already.” said Sucy, cheekily. “But if it's any consolation, I can't remember either. What about you, Lotte?”

The Finn shook her head. “I thought one of you knew, I've been so busy with stuff I forgot to check the schedule.” she answered, glumly. “Sorry about that.”

“I wouldn't worry about it, my dears.” came an all-too-familiar voice from behind the trio. “It's a light one, nothing terribly serious. It's coming up to Christmas after all!”

The three witches practically jumped out of their seats, and turned to see Lukic standing behind them, grinning playfully.

“Gah! Please, don't sneak up on us like that!” spluttered Akko, placing a hand over her racing heart. “Are you _trying_ to make me need a change of underwear?”

Lukic made a noise that was halfway between her trademark cackle and a very silly giggle. “Hee hee! Sorry, old habits die hard, I'm afraid.” she replied, a gleam of mischief in her eyes. “But you're right, I should probably cut that out. Don't want to end up pulling a Humphrey Porter now, after all.”

“A...A what now?” queried Lotte, eyes narrowed.

“Oh, it was a rather dreadful book series which took quite a few liberties with how magic worked. Notably had some nonsense in it about witches and wizards, uh, _relieving themselves_ where they stood and just magicking it away. Don't try doing that by the way, even in an emergency, you'll probably end up with part of your posterior missing.”

Lotte cringed, as Akko struggled to hold down her breakfast and Sucy winced. “I'll, uh, stick to Night Fall, I think...” she said through gritted teeth.

The ancient professor nodded. “Probably a good idea, they're guilty pleasures at best.” she chuckled. “But anyway, enough of that. How are you three holding up?”

Akko's smile returned, as she managed to push the thought of Humphrey Porter out of her mind. “Not so bad, thanks!” she said, cheerily. “Just about recovered from yesterday's drama...”

“Ah, yes. That was rather unfortunate, I wasn't there for it myself but I heard all about it. A very sad affair. I'd much rather it had gone...better.”

Lukic sighed, briefly downcast.

“But anyway, I'm glad to see you in good spirits, Akko!” she said, regaining her cheer. “And how about you, Sucy?”

“Y-Yeah, I'm doing well.” she replied, slightly nervously. “Nothing to complain about, especially not when I have Akko here.”

She felt her cheeks redden a little. There was still something a little frightening to her about openly talking about her relationship, even with people she trusted. She always felt she was going to be mocked or scolded for some reason.

Fortunately, her fears were unfounded, as Lukic just grinned. “Awww, young love is such a sweet thing!” she crooned. “It just warms my heart, you know. Reminds me of my youth, back when I met this lovely young man with quite the knack for plant magic. Let me tell you, the bouquets he used to give me were things of beauty! Why, I....wait, I'm rambling again aren't I?”

“No, no, tell us more!” said Sucy, and Akko and Lotte nodded in agreement.

“Well, he was quite the sweetest fellow you'd ever meet. Name was Percivel, but we all called him Percy. As I say, very talented with magic, but even more talented with his manners. Quite the looker too!” she continued. “Every girl in the village wanted him, but I was the one he set his heart on. We were due to get married, as it happened, but...”

She trailed off, her nostalgic reverie fading.

“But?”

The old professor sighed again. “...He went off to fight in the Great War, you see. And like so many young men, he...never came back.”

The trio became very sombre, rather brought down to earth by the tragic ending of Lukic's tale. “Oh...I see.” said Akko, sadly. “I'm so sorry, that's...that's awful...”

“It's alright, dear. It was a long, long time ago now. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you two have each other now.” she said, earnestly. “Because I'm very happy for the both of you.”

“Aww, thanks, professor...” said Sucy. “I'm so glad you get it. I was worried-”

Lukic raised a finger, cutting her off. “Don't you worry about it, dearie. Believe me, if I had a penny for every girl-couple I've seen here I'd be very rich indeed. But if anyone ever gives you grief over it, just let me know and I'll make sure they regret it.”

Lotte beamed. “I'm so glad you're so supportive, Mrs. Lukic.” she chipped in. “I don't know what we'd have done without you.”

“Don't mention it, hee hee!” replied the professor, a naughty grin returning to her face. “But if you two start smooching in the lesson when you're supposed to be paying attention I might just turn you into newts!”

“N-No, we'll be good!” spluttered Akko, nervously. “Isn't that right, Sucy?”

“I dunno, I think you'd make a really cute newt, Akko.”

Lukic blinked. “I was only joking, you know.” she said, slightly embarrassed. “Hmm. I think I might need to work on toning down the “crazy old crone” thing...”

“Aww, now that's no fun.” snarked Sucy. “Someone's gotta bring the thunder now and then.”

“If you say so, I suppose. I think I'd better change up my act though, there's only so long the same old routine stays fresh.” she said, dryly. “Oh, but do excuse me, I'd better set up the slides for the lesson, sorry to cut it short!”

The old teacher shuffled away, humming to herself as she did so. As she reached the front of the classroom, Sucy felt Akko nudging her.

“What do you mean, I'd make a cute newt?!” Akko exclaimed with mock indignation. “Are you insinuating something?”

Sucy shook her head. “No, not at all. I like newts, they're adorable.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Well, be that as it may, I'd really rather not be turned into one!”

“Oh, come now, Akko, I'm sure Sucy's only being silly, no need to get worked up!” giggled Lotte, girlishly.

“I know, I know! I just can't resist rising to it, heh heh!”

For her part, Sucy just smiled.

_You would make a very cute newt, though._ She thought to herself.

  
  


  
  


“...And that concludes the lecture on the Magic-User's Workplace Holiday Act, 1975.” announced Lukic, clapping the book on her lectern shut. “So to recap, witches get the same holidays as everyone else and also special dispensations for rituals, witch-specific holidays and so on. Now, are there any questions?”

A hand shot up in the middle of the class, belonging to Maria. “Yes, professor.” she said, slightly hesitantly. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Lukic?”

The old professor scratched her head. “Oh? Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, you're smiling and you haven't made one of us jump out of our skin or feel deeply uncomfortable this whole lesson.”

Lukic allowed herself a slight smirk. “Oh, right. Yes, I killed her, flayed her and wore her body like a suit.”

“That's more like it.” said Maria, breathing a sigh of relief. “You had me worried for a second there.”

A few girls around the class giggled a little, and Lukic herself couldn't resist a snort of mirth. “Well that's a first, students actually laughing in my class!” she sniggered. “Anyway, I'd like to wish you all a good rest of the day, and a very merry Christmas. Now, class dismissed!”

The young witches began to stand up from their desks and disperse from the classroom, until most of the students had left. Before long, the only person besides Lukic left in the room was Sucy, who was still sitting at her desk.

“Oh, Sucy my dear, is everything alright?” asked Lukic. “You'll need to get going to your next lesson soon, If I recall correctly it's with Finnelan, and you know what she's like about punctuality!”

Sucy nodded. “I'm fine, professor. I just wanted to say something to you was all.”

She rose from her seat and strode over to Lukic, gaze averted shyly.

“I just wanted to say, uh, thank you.” she mumbled. “I'm so glad you were there for me that day. If it weren't for you I think I might have just spent the whole day crying.”

Lukic shook her head, smiling. “That's quite alright, sweetheart.” she replied, tenderly. “It's Akko and Lotte you have to thank really, they were the ones who told me about you being so upset. But in any case, I appreciate it.”

Sucy gave a very slight nod. “Yeah...I'm so glad I have friends like them.” she said. “I can't believe it took this to make me really appreciate how great they are.”

“We all take things for granted when things are going well.” the old teacher answered. “It's the hard times that test us, and show people for who they really are. Sometimes for the worse, but sometimes for the better.”

She sighed, wistfully. “But in the end, I'm just glad you're OK. And Ramza, whatever afterlife she's watching us from, I think she'd be very proud of you.”

“R-Right. I...I think so too.”

“Hey, Sucy, you coming?” called Akko from behind the classroom door. “We're going to be late!”

Lukic grinned, knowingly. “Go on, Sucy, your friends will be missing you. And Mrs. Finnelan, for that matter!”

The girl nodded. “Right, I'd better be going.” she replied. “But thank you, professor. And uh...merry Christmas!”

With that, she scurried away and out the door, carefully closing it behind her.

Lukic just smiled, as she listened to the chattering voices of Akko, Sucy and Lotte begin to fade into the distance.

“Merry Christmas, Sucy.” she said, softly.

  
  


  
  


Lessons came and went, and before long it was time for lunch. Akko, Sucy and Lotte were settled down around their usual table, talking amid bites from turkey and cranberry sandwiches.

“Man, Christmas is so close, I can practically feel it!” said Akko, excitedly. “Before long we'll be back at my place- we'll be opening presents and eating nice food and singing carols! Aren't you excited, Sucy?”

Sucy nodded, beaming. “Oh god, am I ever!” she replied. “I can't wait to meet your family too! They sound so nice, I just hope they like me.”

Akko tilted her head quizzically. “Of course they'll like you, Sucy, don't be daft!”

“Yeah, I wouldn't worry yourself, Sucy.” said Lotte, reassuringly. “You'll be fine, if they're anything like Akko you'll get on just perfectly!”

“Oh yeah, my parents are really chill! Trust me, they'll be tripping up over themselves to make you welcome!”

The Filipino girl smiled. “I'm glad to hear that, they sound lovely. Though I think it's for the best that I stay quiet for any carol singing, I can't sing to save my life.”

Akko giggled a little. “C'mon, Sucy, if a dummy like me can manage it I'm sure you can!” she said. “Besides, I'm pretty sure mangling them is half the fun of singing carols, hee hee!”

“No, believe me, I can't sing for shit. I don't think even Ramza had a kind word to say about my singing.”

“Alright, prove it!” Akko exclaimed. “Give us a bit of “Silent Night” and we'll be the judges!”

Sucy's face flushed red. “Do I have to? I don't want to hurt anyone's ears...”

Lotte grinned naughtily. “Now now, Sucy, you don't want to disappoint your girlfriend, do you?” she said, no small amount of mischief in her voice.

“Ugh...alright...”

Sucy breathed in deeply, and held her breath for a few seconds- then, she began to sing, or at least, attempt to.

“Siiiilent niiiiiiiight...hoooooly niiiight...” she warbled, going quite horrifically off-key. “Alllll is calm, allllll is briiiiiight...”

Akko and Lotte tried very, very hard not to wince, eyebrows twitching slightly at what sounded for all the world like a crow with a sore throat gargling battery acid.

“Uh, something soooomething mother and chiiiild...” continued Sucy, who was slightly concerned about potential for divine retribution she would likely be attracting for her horrendous butchery of Silent Night. “Hooooly infant so...uh, something and something...Sleeeep in...no, no, I'm stopping, I don't want to get Christmas cancelled.”

Her friends exchanged glances, staying awkwardly quiet for a few seconds. Then, at last, Akko spoke up.

“Well, that was uh...different?” She said, trying very hard to remain tactful. “I-I mean, a bit on the prog side, but...I expected...worse?”

Lotte nodded. “Yeaaaaah...It uh, it definitely had Captain Beefheart vibes to it...”

“It wasn't that good.” said Sucy, shaking her head. “I suppose it would make an actually silent night all the more appreciated, though.”

Akko snorted with laughter. “Sorry, that was actually quite funny, I'm not taking the piss, honest.” she said, trying not to look too amused. “But yeah, maybe we'll rethink the carol singing.”

Sucy just smiled. “Heh, it's fine. I've never been any good at it, I'm not sensitive about it at all.”

“Eh, oh well. It's not gonna stop us from having fun when we get to mine, I'm sure-”

“Ah, Akko!” came a voice from behind the Japanese witch. “Just the girl I was looking for. You haven't forgotten our appointment, have you?”

Startling slightly, Akko shuffled in her chair to face the source of the voice, and came face to face with Cassandra Chessbury, who was fiddling with her waist-length slate-grey hair as usual.

“N-No, of course not, hee hee!” chuckled Akko, sheepishly. “Sorry to keep you waiting, I was just being, uh, _serenaded_ by Sucy here!”

Even Sucy couldn't stop a wry grin from creeping onto her face. She was wondering if Akko had somehow inherited her snarky habits.

Cassandra laughed, demurely. “Oh, well that's no worry at all! But we'd better get a move on, lunch won't last forever and there's much to discuss!” she said. “Now do excuse me, Sucy, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal your girlfriend.”

“Be gentle with her is all I ask.” replied Sucy, devilishly.

  
  


  
  


“Now then, Akko, to business.” said Cassandra as she sat down on a stool in the magical textiles room. “A little bird told me you were after a pair of dresses, is that correct?”

Cassandra was Luna Nova's foremost creative powerhouse. Seemingly filled to bursting with artistic talents, she absolutely loved making things, ranging from beautiful paintings to elabourate embroidery. It was actually something of a compulsion of hers; she couldn't go five minutes without seeing some mundane object and thinking of ways to embellish it, and she was forever redoing her hair into new patterns. Whilst mostly everyone liked her, she was by her own admission a butterfly brain and found it very difficult to concentrate on her actual studies. Fortunately, when it came to her “side projects”- especially ones done for other people- she was very good about finishing things and sticking to deadlines.

Akko nodded. “That's right! One for me, and one for Sucy, for the Winter Ball.” she answered, confidently. “Can you do it?”

The artist smiled. “I should imagine so, it's a bit squeaky deadline-wise but I think I can manage it!” she said. “I might have to keep it relatively simple, mind you, I don't think there's time for me to add wings or anything.”

“No, no, that's fine!” replied Akko. “I don't want anything too show-offish, I just want us to look nice, is all.”

Cassandra stroked her chin. “Well, that makes my job easier for certain. But I still want to put something special into it...I'm just wondering what I could do that won't take too long. Do you have any ideas?”

“Hmmm, I'm not sure. I'd love to say “Oh, well I have some ideas” but honestly I kinda didn't think too much into it...” Akko admitted.

“Oh, don't worry about it, I heard about what happened with Wilma and all, I can't blame you for not having dress specifications on your mind.”

She scratched her head, as she pondered. “But still, if you can think of anything off the spur of the moment, let me know.”

“Right! Lemme think...” the brunette said. “Let's see, for me I don't mind too much, nothing Shiny Chariot themed though, that would be tacky. For Sucy? Well obviously she loves her some fungi, and she's from the Philippines, but-”

“Eureka!” exclaimed Cassandra, interrupting Akko. “Sorry to cut you off there, but I've had a brainwave. I think I know exactly what I'm going to do you!”

Akko blinked. “O-Oh, I see! That was, uh, quick.” she said, a little surprised. “But how do you want me to pay you for these?”

The grey-haired girl shook her head. “Don't be ridiculous, this is a Christmas gift to the two of you!” she said. “You don't need to pay me anything.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

Cassandra nodded furiously. “Absolutely. You DID save magic, after all.” she said. “Oh, and don't worry about measurements either, I've got some enchanted fabric that will automatically fit to you both. Same sort of stuff our uniforms are made of as it happens!”

“Wow, that's so kind of you!” blurted Akko. “Do tell me if there is anything I can do to repay you though, OK? I'd hate to think I'm leeching off you.”

“I'll let you know. But don't lose any sleep over it, I'd be happy just seeing my creations in the Ball!” answered the artist.

Akko beamed. “Awww, you're just the best!” she said, appreciatively. “I'm so glad you're helping me out with this!”

“Oh, don't mention it!” replied Cassandra. “But do excuse me, I'd better make a start or they'll never be done in time. I'll see you later anyway!”

The chestnut-haired girl nodded. “Gotcha! I'll catch you later! And good luck with the sewing!”

With that, she waved goodbye and marched out of the textiles room. She had a spring in her step as she did so, feeling quite over the moon with how everything was working out. It seemed like things were finally coming together, and-

“Ah, Miss Kagari, just the girl I wanted to see.” came a voice from behind her. “Do you mind coming with me for a few minutes? I'd like a word.”

Akko jolted round, and sure enough, Anne Finnelan was standing there. She didn't seem to be smiling- this did not bode well.

“Uh, of course, Mrs. Finnelan!” she replied, as politely as she could. She tried to stay looking happy, but she suspected her feeling of panic was all over her face.

_Well, so much for things going better..._ she thought to herself.

  
  


  
  


Akko sat down in the chair in front of Finnelan's desk in the student counselling office, trying to retain a look of dignity and calm. She never enjoyed being summoned here; every time she was it was inevitably for some telling-off or punishment over one of her blunders or accidents.

She was a little confused though; she couldn't recall anything having exploded, broken or otherwise gone awry as a result of her actions for a while now. Had she broken some obscure rule she wasn't familiar with? Was this to do with yesterday's fiasco? Was Anne still smarting over being called out for nearly expelling Sucy?

“OK, Mrs. Finnelan...” she sighed. “What have I done this time?”

To her surprise, when she looked up from her lap, Anne was not wearing her usual look of disapproval or irritation- rather, she almost looked sad, even ashamed.

“No, Akko, you haven't done anything.” she answered, quietly. “I just wanted to talk to you...”

Akko nearly fell out of the seat in disbelief. “W-What? You...didn't want to chew me out over something?”

Finnelan shook her head. “Quite the opposite.” she replied, solemnly. “I wanted to apologize to you.”

“A-A-A-Apologize?!?” spluttered the girl. “To me? What on Earth for?”

“...For everything, Akko...”

The professor sighed, deeply. Then, a very slight smile took her face.

“I'm sorry, I should have prepared you a bit better, shouldn't I?” she continued. “But yes, Akko, I wanted to apologize. For...treating you so badly.”

Akko blinked. “Really? I didn't think you were  _that_ bad. A bit strict, maybe, but-”

“Strictness is one thing.” Anne cut her off. “But being so cold towards you for your difficulties with magic, I made an absolute disgrace of myself. I feel like I've been picking on you for something that wasn't your fault, Akko.”

She stared at her lap. “Technically, and do excuse me for saying this, you'd count as a disabled student due to the whole Dream Fuel Spirit affair.” she carried on. “And knowing that now, I find it...hard to forgive myself for being so hard on you. I-”

“No, Mrs. Finnelan...” cut in Akko. “You weren't to know...I didn't know until...then. For all you knew I was just an idiot who couldn't stick to the rules.”

Finnelan  folded her arms. “No, Akko, you weren't. I should have realized something was wrong from the beginning. But I just assumed you weren't trying, that you weren't taking it seriously.” she said, sadly. “I have no excuse...I've dealt with students with magical disabilities before, I should have known...”

Akko sighed, and forced a smile.

“It's...It's OK. You couldn't have known. And besides, I was a troublemaker. Not like every mistake I made could be explained away with magical damage, after all.” she said, softly. “The Dream Fuel Spirit didn't make me steal that tart!”

Anne allowed herself a slight chuckle. “Well, that much is true. Though believe me, ironically enough I'm in no position to be jumping down people's throats for mischief.” she replied. “One day I'll tell you about my student days. Trust me, the stuff I got up to would make Amanda blush.”

“You? A delinquent? That seems...unlikely.”

“Oh, you have no idea, Akko.” the professor said with a smile. “I think I started as a school counsellor because I wanted to help students avoid making the mistakes I made, though I feel my heart rather hardened over the years...”

She laughed. “But enough of my indulgent self-pitying. I did want to ask, are you holding up alright?”

Akko nodded, slowly. “Y-Yeah, I'm doing OK, all things considered!” she answered, hesitantly. “Aside from that mess yesterday, not so bad!”

“Good, that's very good. And how about Sucy?”

“Oh, Sucy? Yeah, she's doing much better than she was, for certain.” Akko carried on. “I was really worried about her, but I think she's bounced back. She seems so much happier now...”

She trailed off. “Mrs. Finnelan, are...are you OK?”

Anne smiled slightly. “Yes, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just thinking over things that I should have done better lately.” she replied, after a long pause. “I...I'm sorry, I've wasted your time completely. Do forgive me.”

“No, Mrs. Finnelan, you haven't at all. I'm really glad we got to talk...I think I misjudged you.”

The professor nodded. “And me likewise. I'm sad to say I assumed the worst about you, Akko...so thank you for proving me totally wrong.”

She glanced at her watch. “Ah, I've kept you for far too long, you'd probably better be getting back to class now. Or...wait, there's no classes now, so you'll be wanting to see your friends again.” she said. “But anyway, I'll let you go. But thank you so much for enduring my nattering, Miss Kagari. And merry Christmas.”

“No worries! And merry Christmas to you too!”

As Akko left the office, letting the door slide gently closed behind her, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. It hadn't been an encounter she'd been expecting to have, but it was a welcome change from how her meetings with Finnelan usually went.

Still, no time to spend thinking it over. She needed to find her friends again.

  
  


  
  


“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in!” crowed Lotte as Akko entered the dormroom. “You took your time.”

“Yeah, well, I had stuff to do! Important, secret stuff, heh heh.” replied Akko, with a mischievous smile.

Sucy cracked a naughty grin. “Oh, I bet.” she said with a snigger. “You got lost again, didn't you, Akko?”

The Japanese girl pouted. “I most certainly did not!” she snapped in faux-offence. “As if I'd get lost after all this time here, honestly!”

“What, you mean like yesterday?”

As much as Sucy loved Akko- and oh did she love her, with all her heart- she was still a lot of fun to gently tease now and then. She'd never consider actually trying to upset her or hurt her feelings, but a little bit of a good-natured prod was fun. Akko's reactions were invariably priceless, either for comedic value or just how cute she was when she got in a flap.

“H-Hey, that was...no, you got me there.” admitted Akko. “Yeah, I couldn't find my way out of a fairy ring.”

She giggled. “Seriously though, I actually didn't get lost this time. But if I told you what I was up to, well, it'd spoil the surprise!”

Sucy's cheeky grin softened into a tender smile. “Ah, I'll take your word for it then.” she replied. “But you _did_ take a while, it's not quite the same without you here.”

Akko's face once again became incredibly impish. “Awww, have you been pining for me?” she cooed, as she strode over to the bed and sat down beside Sucy. “I'm sorry, Su-chan, I didn't mean to make you wait!”

“Pining? Well...maybe a little...” said Sucy, gently. “OK, a lot...”

The lilac-haired girl shuffled closer to Akko on the bed, leaning against her and nuzzling her cheek. “But it's OK, little guinea pig, you're here again now.” she murmured. “You're here, and you're mine.”

“Oh, Sucy, when did you get this soppy?” Akko snarked. “Are you sure you're the same Sucy I met all those months ago?”

The Filipino girl shook her head, and sighed wistfully.

“No...No, I don't think I am.” she said, very softly. “And I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am of that.”

  
  


“Right, there we go!” said Hannah, clapping her hands together. “The angel's on the top, the lights are all set up, looks like we're finally finished!”

Diana nodded. “Yes, it certainly looks that way.” she replied. “Well done everyone, you've all done brilliantly.”

The tree looked absolutely beautiful, now fully bedecked in decorations and lights, and topped with a little wicker angel. It had been a massive effort to get it to this state, but every iota of work had been worth it. Diana just hoped that everyone else would like it as much as she did.

“Hey, what's wrong, Diana?” asked Sarah. “You look a bit sad, are you alright?”

The Cavendish nodded, slowly. “I'm...I'm fine, Sarah. Everything's OK.” she answered. “I've just had a lot to think about is all.”

There was a brief silence- then Barbara put a hand on Diana's shoulder and spoke up.

“I know, Diana.” she said, reassuringly. “It's about Akko, isn't it? I know you have...feelings for her...”

The heiress sighed, deeply. “There's no point denying it, I suppose.” she said. “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit jealous. You don't just save the world with someone, see the edge of the sky with them and not fall in love with them, after all. And I do love her, absolutely. But...”

She paused, taking a deep breath.

“But there's no use being sad about it.” she carried on. “I love her, but most of all I just want her to be happy. I want her to choose for herself. And if she's happiest with Sucy, then...I'm OK with that.”

“D-Diana...”

The blonde girl laughed to herself. “Besides, Sucy's a very lucky girl to have someone like her as a girlfriend. And they _are_ cute together, even I can't deny that.”

The other girls shared a giggle. “Heh heh, not gonna argue there!” said Sarah. “They do make a sweet couple.”

“Definitely!” chipped in Hannah. “I think Akko's going to be just fine...but, Diana, we'll always be here for you, you know that?”

Barbara nodded. “Yeah! We've got you, no matter what happens.” she added.

Diana paused for a moment- then she smiled, contentedly.

“Thanks, everyone...” she said at last. “I'm so glad you're here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I managed to completely miss Christmas with this update, whoops!
> 
> Anyway, usual grovelling over my inability to release anything promptly aside, some notes:  
> >Yes, the bit at the beginning is a reference to Sucy's more...interesting fantasies alluded to in episode 13. And that's all I'm saying on the matter.  
> >I want to write some fics detailing the staff's time as students at some point- I've already got a few ideas lined up, so we'll see where they go.  
> >There's almost certainly not going to be any more heavy drama in this particular fic. Honestly I was originally planning on this being much fluffier, but the best laid plans and all that.
> 
> Anyway, I have about two more chapters in mind for this fic. I'll almost certainly do more fics for this story, but given that I'll have spent a year writing Christmas fic soon, I think it's best if I give this particular arc a good closure point.
> 
> Next time: The Luna Nova Winter Ball!


End file.
